


When My Life Begins

by marauderdream



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, Tangled AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-28
Updated: 2014-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 00:37:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 63,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5806504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marauderdream/pseuds/marauderdream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only life Will has ever known had been concealed within the four walls of the tower. All he ever had was his grandmother and his storybooks to keep him company. He longed for a sense of danger and excitement, for the chance to travel to exciting new places, for a chance to know what it was like to have an adventure. Until one day, fate stepped in and gave him exactly what he’d been wishing for. But fate is never kind, and real life is nothing like those fairytales.</p><p>A Solangelo AU based on Disney’s Tangled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Salutaris de Lumine

**Author's Note:**

> also cross-posted on my fanfiction.net account, originally published on November 28th, 2014

_And they lived happily ever after. The End._

 

The boy closed the book and stared down at the familiar cover, the title written out in shining gold print. _Dornröschen_. Sleeping Beauty, Little Briar Rose. He'd lost track of how many times he'd read the story of how the beautiful maiden pricked her finger on a spinning wheel and awoke from the curse with true love's kiss.

 

The story was almost always the same. A destitute young woman with an unfulfilled need for adventure and romance meets the man of her wildest fantasies and finally finds the happiness she so long searched for. Add in a few plot twists or a character death here and there, and you had yourself a worthwhile fairytale. Belle et la Bête, Cenerentola, Schneewittchen. The same old story, just told in different languages and settings. Yet he couldn't get enough of them.

 

He envied the young princesses. He longed for a sense of danger and excitement, for the chance to travel to exciting new places, for a chance to know what it was like to have an adventure. Instead, he was destined to live a life of loneliness, all because of his parentage and the stupid prophecy.

 

His jealousy over the lives of fictional people amazed him sometimes. The only way to quell this jealousy was to read more stories. He'd have to ask Grandmother Gaea to buy him more storybooks next time she left the tower.

 

"Will, come here a moment, I need your help!"

 

Speaking of Grandmother Gaea.

 

Will Solace placed Sleeping Beauty back on the shelf next to his other stories and made his way down the stairs. He dragged his hands across the railings, which were covered in paint and pencil markings from his childhood. There were various drawings and sketches all over the walls and furniture of the tower, though none of them were very good. Art wasn't exactly his forte, but it helped cure his boredom. He hopped the last step and sauntered into the small kitchen area where his grandmother stood.

 

She was quite a beautiful woman, considering her age. Her long dark hair cascaded down her back in waves. Her face was free of wrinkles. A green knit shawl hung loosely around her shoulders as she chopped vegetables for lunch. Even while doing mundane tasks like cooking, she always looked stunning. Existing as an immortal being capable of changing her appearance with a simple thought made looking young and beautiful an easy task.

 

"Yes, Grandmother?" Will asked sweetly, leaning against the counter.

 

"My hand slipped while chopping these carrots, could you help with this cut?" she thrust her open palm towards him, revealing a cut that was about two inches long, a half-inch deep, and bleeding profusely.

 

Will's smile fell. "Oh. That's all?"

 

"Yes," she said. "I'm sorry to bother you if you were busy, but I don't want to leave the soup to burn to go get a bandage."

 

"You really should be more careful." Will sighed. "I feel like I've been fixing tiny little cuts and bruises and burns constantly."

 

"You should be happy to help me, after everything I've done for you," she said carefully. Her face showed the barest hint of a frown. She didn't get angry often, but when she did, it was obvious.

 

"I _am_ happy to do it. I'm sorry if that was disrespectful. Here, give me your hand."

 

After seventeen years, this had become routine. He took her hand in his and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and singing out the lines of an ancient Latin hymn. Immediately, Gaea's hand was surrounded by a glowing gold aura and the bleeding stopped. Seconds later, the wound closed completely as the aura faded and Will held out the last notes of his song.

 

Gaea sighed contently and ruffled Will's curly blonde hair with her newly-healed hand. "You're such a gift."

 

"Speaking of gifts..." Will figured this was a good opportunity if any. "Next time you're in town can you get me some new books?"

 

The small frown appeared for a moment again before Gaea regained her peaceful composure. "What's wrong with the ones you have?"

 

"Nothing, Grandmother. I love the books you've given me, really. I just want a few more."

 

"Hm," she considered this for a moment. "Well, I didn't have any plans to make that trip any time soon."

 

"Maybe I could go get them myself?"

 

Gaea stopped stirring the soup and dropped her spoon. "Will, we've discussed this. It's not-"

 

"Not safe," he finished. "Because of the prophecy. I know."

 

The prophecy. Will hated it every time the prophecy was brought up in conversations, because there was no negotiating it. _When turned eighteen shall see the light, a loss most wrong to set things right._ His eighteenth birthday was quickly approaching, which only made the prophecy's threat more imminent. He'd been kept safe inside his isolated home with his grandmother for as long as he could remember to prevent this prophecy from coming to pass. He couldn't risk losing the one thing that made him special, his gift of healing.

 

His grandmother had a list of rules she'd drilled into his head for years.

 

_Don't ever leave the tower. There are people out there who will use you and hurt you._

_Don't ever let anyone know of your power. It's too strong and too dangerous._

_Don't ever associate with the Gods. They don't like our kind. They won't like you because you're too powerful. They will try to kill you, given the chance._

More than anything, Will blamed the Olympians. It's the fault of the twelve gods on Mount Olympus that his life was so unfulfilled. He'd been told the story countless times when he was young.

 

_"You're a very special little boy, Will. Do you know why that is?"_ His grandmother would ask him.

_"Because I was born from daddy's sacrifice."_ He'd always reply.

 

The war was the reason he was here. Titans versus Gods. Grandmother had told him countless times of how his 'father', Helios, was wounded in battle, and how the golden ichor that bled from his wounds fell to the earth and created him. His special circumstances from his birth were the reason behind his healing gift.

 

Calling Helios his father had just become a formality after the issuing of the prophecy, which referred to him as the child of the sun. Helios wasn't truly Will's father, he knew that much. He had no real parents. He'd simply come into existence with the help of Gaea's magic. He had no father, no mother, and because of the stupid prophecy, no freedom.

_Of gold from the Gods shall a hero rise..._

He was no hero, not in his eyes. He was just another kid. Nothing special. And since he could never leave, since he would never be free from the confinement of his home, the prophecy could never come true. His healing was too powerful, and the Gods didn't like it when mortals were as powerful as them. On top of that, his death by the hands of the Gods would be revenge for the war. So he was trapped here forever. Maybe it was better that way.

 

Some may think that the story of Will's life could be considered the thing of fairytales. He thought it was more the subject of nightmares.

 

"I suppose I could make a trip into town," Gaea said finally. "What kind of books did you have in mind?"

 

"Something fun," he said. "Something exciting. I could use an adventure."

 

* * *

 

"Reyna, be careful!"

 

Reyna was violently yanked back from the ledge, being pulled by her braid. She would have yelped out in pain if Nico's hand hadn't immediately clamped over her mouth to silence her. If they were discovered, it would ruin everything.

 

She turned to face the younger boy and her eyes met his shoulder before she remembered to glance up. Reyna and Nico had been working together for years, ever since they met on the streets in their early teens. Now Nico was older and a foot taller than he was when they'd first met, so Reyna had to get used to making adjustments to glare at him.

 

"Thanks," she said sarcastically. "I really appreciate having all of my hair follicles forcefully ripped out."

 

"You're welcome," he rolled his eyes in her direction before shimmying his way across the edge of the roof and hopping to the ground, landing safely in the dark alleyway. He got as close as he dared to the street and peeked around the corner, scoping out his surroundings.

 

He grimaced, taking note of the villagers scattered through the streets. "Why are there so many people out today?"

 

"What's the date again?"

 

"June fourteenth, why?"

 

"The summer solstice is next week." Reyna said, pointing out the bright gold banners being hung from the streetlights. The cobblestone walkways of the small European town were strewn with confetti and streamers. Children ran through the streets chasing one another and popping balloons. "They're planning the ceremony for Apollo's lost son."

 

"That kid that was kidnapped by Gaea?" Nico moved away from the curb and retreated back into the shadows.

 

"Yeah. The twenty-first is his birthday. According to legend, Apollo blesses everyone who puts any effort into finding him. Although knowing Lord Apollo he probably just hires someone else to do it because he's 'busy'."

 

Nico huffed, sitting down on the ground and pulling a water bottle from his bag. "Lucky kid, having parents who actually care about him. Good to know if he's ever found he'll have a family to come back to."

 

Nico didn't like mentioning his family. Reyna had known him for two years before he finally told her the story of how Zeus murdered his mother and he and his sister Bianca were pulled out of time and forced to readjust to the 21st century. It took him another six months after that to tell the story of how Bianca died on a quest to save another demigod, and another month after that to talk about how Hades always favored Bianca and never really cared for Nico. It was one of the most heartbreaking stories Reyna had ever heard, and she had her own fair share of issues with her family.

 

"We don't need a family. We have each other," Reyna offered her hand. "Now come on, we have a mission to finish."

 

Nico definitely hadn't been looking forward to this particular mission. He and Reyna had pulled off countless heists before, but this was on bigger scale than anything they'd done before. Quite literally, since this time they were planning to steal a forty-foot-tall statue. He'd felt guilty at first, but then he realized he wasn't really stealing as much as he was taking back what rightfully belonged to his people.

 

He wasn't really sure why he'd even decided to go through with this plan. His _people_ shunned him and hated him. He'd been abandoned and left out, especially so since Bianca died. Retrieving the Athena Parthenos and taking it to Camp Half-Blood was his last-ditch effort to be accepted again. He just hoped it would work.

 

Nico re-packed his bag and tossed it onto his shoulder, standing and taking Reyna's hand. She immediately went into her disguised-persona, clutching Nico's hand and stumbling out of the alley, giggling like the little girl.

 

"Come on, I want to show you the gelato stand over here!" she pretended to be extremely excited, tugging Nico along. He'd probably never get used to her acting like this when they needed to seem inconspicuous. They'd used the 'innocent teenage couple exploring the town' ruse countless times and it always diverted attention. They'd gotten away with their biggest robberies using this method.

 

At first, it had made him extremely uncomfortable to act this way with Reyna, despite the fact that they both knew it was just acting. He found it hard to pretend to love a girl in any way but platonically, especially Reyna, since she was practically his sister. But they'd both gotten used to it, and Nico's fake smile was almost as wide as Reyna's.

 

"Slow down, I'm sure there's enough fancy ice cream to go around," he laughed.

 

Five minutes later, Nico was handing the bored cashier woman euros over the counter in exchange for two small cups of gelato. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Reyna sitting at a table right outside of the gate surrounding the temple where the Athena Parthenos was being hidden away. No one nearby noticed her nonchalantly picking a lock with her hand beneath the table. She used her free hand to wave to him as he walked towards her.

 

"You got it?" he asked.

 

"Almost," she replied. "It was trapped with 3000 volts of electricity, but I was able to disable it. Did you get chocolate or vanilla?"

 

"Chocolate. Your favorite," as he sat down, he heard a faint clicking noise as Reyna opened the lock. The easiest part of their day was done.

 

"Perfect," she smirked, putting both hands on top of the table and digging into her frozen treat. "And now we wait."

 

The two traveled best in the dark. Night would fall soon enough. They passed time by discussing their plan: Reyna would cause a diversion long enough for Nico to get to the statue and shadow jump the both of them and the Athena Parthenos somewhere far enough where they wouldn't be found. From there they would improvise, eventually making their way to Long Island Sound. Occasionally they'd hold hands over the table or Nico would feed Reyna spoonfuls of his gelato, looking completely natural. No one suspected a thing, and by midnight, they were alone in the plaza.

 

"Now or never," Nico muttered, "let's go steal a statue."

 

* * *

 

"Don't go running off while I'm gone," Gaea advised Will, tying her shawl tighter around her shoulders.

 

"I never do," he replied, as usual. "I'll be waiting right here, like always."

 

"Three books, you sure that's all you need?" she asked.

 

Will nodded. He'd specified his want for more fairytales. "That's all. You'll only be gone for a day, right?"

 

"I'll be back this time tomorrow, promise."

 

Will finished packing a small bag full of food rations for a few days, just in case. He handed it to his grandmother, who gratefully accepted it before kissing him on the forehead. "Be good while I'm gone."

 

"How bad could I possibly be?"

 

She smiled at him one last time before walking out, closing and locking the door behind her. Her footsteps slowly faded out as she descended the seemingly endless stairway, finally making her way out at the base of the tower.

 

Will's happy mood immediately deflated. He sunk into the nearest chair, sighing and staring out of the window. The entire world was mere feet away, and he was stuck inside forever.

 

He could stare out of that same window for hours, losing track of time while longing for a chance to know what it was like out there. He'd never even been allowed to open the window.

 

It'd probably be difficult, then, to explain to Grandmother Gaea how the window suddenly shattered into thousands of pieces as a large white marble statue crashed into the side of the house.

 

Will barely avoided the falling debris. A ten-foot long section of the right wall of the house completely broke apart, revealing the pitch-black sky and letting a cool summer breeze flow through the front entryway. He stood up, tiptoeing his way around broken brick and glass, standing on his toes to look outside.

 

It was his first real experience of the outside world in nearly eighteen years. And it was ruined by two unwanted guests. On the ground, at the base of the statue, sat two dark haired, disheveled, and breathless teenagers. The boy stared up at Will in silence, as if debating whether or not he should run away before facing any consequences. The girl was too busy focusing on the fact that her leg was pinned beneath the heavy stone. She cried out in pain.

 

"Who are you?" Will spoke carefully, "And why is your giant statue in my backyard?"

 

* * *

 

"Did you really never think of breaking down the door?"

 

"Um, no..." Will said. "The door was locked for a reason. Grandmother wouldn't be happy if I left without her permission."

 

_She also wouldn't be happy if I let people inside without her permission_ , Will thought. Yet there he stood, making direct eye contact with the boy who had crashed into his home. The dark-haired teenager stood in the doorway, the wooden door splintered where he'd kicked it in a few moments prior. He carried his female companion in his arms, where she winced in pain as her broken ankle hung loosely.

 

Will couldn't help but stare. They both looked uncared for, thin and tired - and in the boy's case, extremely pale. Street kids. Exactly the kinds of people Grandmother had told him to avoid should he ever come in contact with them. And instead he was welcoming them into his private space.

 

The other boy groaned. "Are you just going to stand there gaping or are you going to help?"

 

"Oh," Will blinked and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Right. Sorry. You can put her down here."

 

He pulled a chair from the kitchen table closer to the girl and helped her sit down. The boy walked away and began flinging open cabinets and drawers.

 

"Could you please not touch that?" Will asked.

 

"Depending on how bad that break is in Reyna's ankle, it may never heal if I don't work on it immediately," The boy glared at Will again, "so I'll touch whatever I want."

 

"Nico, don't be so rude," the girl - Reyna - scolded him. "I'll be fine, really. We need to get moving again."

 

"The guards are after us, if they catch up you need to be able to run on your own."

 

Will interrupted, "The guards?"

 

"You know, big scary guys with weapons who watch over stuff?" Nico said, pulling a bandage from the kitchen drawer.

 

"I know what guards are, but why are they after you?"

 

Nico and Reyna exchanged confused looks.

 

"Don't you recognize that giant statue sitting in your yard right now?"

 

"I'm sorry," Will frowned, "I can't say I do." He didn't know much of anything, which made him feel stupid. His knowledge was limited to the things he found in his books and within the tower walls. And Grandmother didn't seem to enjoy telling stories about the outside world very much.

 

"It doesn't matter," said Reyna, attempting to stand up. She whimpered slightly as she leaned against the chair for support. Nico immediately ran to her side and forced her back into the chair.

 

"I should have been more careful on that jump," Nico muttered to himself. "Sit still, I'll be done in a minute." He began wrapping the bandages around her foot. She winced in pain.

 

Will could tell Nico wasn't very good at treating injuries, the way he sloppily wrapped her foot and didn't bother to set the bone back in place first.

 

"Here, let me help," he offered.

 

Nico didn't even look up. "You've been help enough."

 

"Please... just trust me."

 

Nico slowly looked Will over once, then moved out of the way.

 

"This is just going to hurt for a second, okay?" Will warned Reyna. She gave him a small nod and braced herself as he moved the bone back into place.

 

He sighed, hesitating for a moment. He was about to break another one of his grandmother's rules: _don't let anyone know about your special talents. They'll take advantage of you._ But Nico seemed insistent on leaving as soon as possible, and there was no way they'd be able to leave with Reyna injured like this. Will reasoned that it would be okay just once. The sooner they got out, the better it would be for everyone.

 

He clasped his hands around Reyna's ankle and began quietly singing, " _Flos nitor fulgorque et fulgeat, protenduntur potestatem_...."

 

The glowing aura illuminated the shocked expressions on Nico and Reyna's faces. As Will sang out the last notes of his hymn and the light died out, the three sat in silence. Reyna slowly rotated her ankle, which had healed completely.

 

"How-?" she began, but Will cut her off.

 

"I don't know. But please don't mention it to anyone. You two should really be going."

 

Nico and Reyna exchanged another glance. He pulled her off to the side and they stood, heads ducked, in hushed conversation. Reyna shook her head. A few seconds later, Nico gestured back to Will and nodded.

 

Meanwhile, Will grew extremely agitated, playing with the frayed edges of his shirt to keep himself busy. Finally, the pair turned and faced him.

 

"How long have you been up here?" Nico asked.

 

"Uh... forever," Will replied with a shrug. "I've never left before. Grandmother won't let me."

 

Reyna looked confused. She glanced at Nico, who raised an eyebrow at her, as if daring her to say another word.

 

"Do you _want_ to leave?" asked Reyna, who didn't seem at all threatened by Nico. "The door is wide open, though you might have to fix that broken doorknob later. We could use someone as talented as you."

 

The suggestion surprised him. Then it slowly dawned on him, " You're thieves aren't you? The guards are after you because you stole that statue. I should tell grandmother to turn you in. Why do you think I should help you?"

 

Nico began to unsheathe the obsidian-dark sword at his side, but Reyna pushed his hand aside and glared, as if she were saying _'No, Nico, no death threats just yet.'_

 

"Because," she began, "quite honestly, we need you. I can't risk another injury. And this would give you a chance to get out of the house. To be free. That's what you want, isn't it?"

 

To be free. Those words held a lot of power to Will. There was no way it could be that easy, that convenient. Perfect situations always had to come with a catch. He'd read enough stories to know that happily ever afters weren't accomplished without a fight first.

 

"And when you get that statue wherever it's going, you're just going to dump me somewhere and be done with me, right?"

 

"Yeah, probably," said Nico.

 

"No, we will _not_ ," said Reyna. "Listen, kid. What was your name again?"

 

"Will Solace."

 

"Will, this is really important to us. It could change our lives for the better. You'd be a real help to us. Please?"

 

Will looked Reyna over. Her posture was nearly perfect, despite the fact that she couldn't stand up only moments prior. She stood with her head held high and confident, but her eyes pleaded desperately. Her hands shook slightly and the quiver of her lip was barely noticeable, but it was there.

 

Nico, however, was completely different. He nonchalantly leaned against the chair, glancing at Will, looking wholly disinterested. His dark hair fell in his face, just short enough to show the dark circles under his eyes. His face looked as if it had been fixed in a permanent frown for years.

 

If he said yes, these would be the people to give him his first taste of freedom. They weren't exactly a handsome prince and his noble steed riding in to save the day. But an adventure was an adventure, and the unfamiliarity of it all excited him. There was just one more thing to consider.

 

"Grandmother Gaea wouldn't want me leaving the house," Will explained. "She told me to stay here for my safety. I can't disobey her."

 

Nico's face paled even more, which Will thought was impossible. Reyna's eyes widened.

 

"Did you say Gaea?" she asked.

 

"Yes," he was confused. "What's wrong? You both look like you've seen a ghost."

 

Nico shook his head. "Ghosts aren't all that bad. What you just said, though... we need to get you out of here. Now."

 

Without another word, Nico grabbed Will by the shirtsleeve and tugged him towards the stairs. Reyna began pillaging through the drawers and cabinets, packing her bag full of anything she thought was necessary. They both worked silently, as if they'd kidnapped teenage boys and ransacked their homes countless times before.

 

"I don't understand, what's going on?" Will asked, pulling himself from Nico's grip. "Don't I deserve an explanation?"

 

Nico whirled around to face him. "A lot of people are going to get hurt, possibly killed, if we don't get you and this statue as far away from Gaea as possible. That's all the explanation you need. Now come on."

 

Will stepped back. "Why should I believe that?"

 

"Will, don't you think it's a bit odd that you're nearly an adult an you've been locked up your whole life? What kind of grandparent would do that?" Reyna asked.

 

"She was just protecting me. From people who would hurt me or use me for my healing power."

 

_People like you_ , Will thought but didn't dare to say out loud.

 

"Please, believe me," Reyna pleaded. "It's better if you leave here. Besides, you want to leave, don't you?"

 

He couldn't deny that. He wanted to leave more than anything. But it could have catastrophic consequences. He could set the prophecy in motion. Or worse, he could anger his grandmother. He hated it when she got angry.

 

It was a risk he was willing to take.

 

"Just let me grab something," he said before bolting up the stairs.

 

It was right where he'd left it that morning. He carefully slipped Sleeping Beauty off the shelf and protectively hugged the book to his chest as he made his way back downstairs.

 

"I'm ready."

 

Nico looked over at him and grimaced. "A storybook, really?"

 

Will ducked his head in embarrassment, hugging his book closer to him. "I'm sorry, I know it's stupid. But it's my favorite story."

 

"I, for one, happen to think that's really sweet that you'd think to bring it along with you," Reyna said. "Nico still carries a plastic toy around, so he shouldn't be one to talk-"

 

"Reyna!"

 

The pair glared at each other. Will was curious, but thought it would be better not to ask.

 

Reyna was the one to break the silence. "Anyway, we've got a job to do. Here," she tossed a bag full of supplies at Will's feet, "you can fit your book in there too. Should be enough to get us where we're going."

 

Will opted to keep the book in his hands, tossing the bag over his shoulder with his free arm. "Where exactly is that?"

 

"Long Island Sound, New York City," she grinned. "It's just across the Atlantic Ocean, about five thousand miles away. Don't worry, we'll get you back in time for breakfast in a week."

 

If grandmother didn't kill him, these two surely would.


	2. Flos Nitoris Fulgorisque

"What's this?"

 

"It's called moss. It grows on trees."

 

"Oh. And this?"

 

"It's a calla lily. A type of flower."

 

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of those. Oh, and what about that over there?"

 

"That's a wasp nest. I wouldn't get too close if I were-"

 

"Ow! I think it bit me."

 

"It stung you, actually. Here, let me take care of that."

 

Nico groaned, burying his head in his knees. It had been less than twelve hours and he was already ready to dump both Will and Reyna into the nearest ditch and shadow jump as far away as possible. If it weren't for the fact that the afternoon sun ruined the chance of any shadows appearing and he was still recovering from the jump away from the tower, he would have done just that.

 

"No, it's fine," Will said, bringing his thumb to his mouth and kissing it. The wound instantly healed.

 

"Wow," Reyna breathed. "It's going to take me a while to get used to that. So you don't have to sing the incantation every time?"

 

Will shrugged and grinned at her. "Nope. Only for really bad injuries. For smaller things, doing this actually works better." It felt odd openly talking about his powers and showing other people how it worked. He was going against everything grandmother had ever taught him. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

 

"That's amazing. Isn't this great, Nico?"

 

"Greatly annoying, yes," Nico muttered. "We have two hours until sunset when we can travel again. Try not to get yourselves murdered in that time. Reyna, can you scope out the area? I'd do it myself but I'm still tired from that last jump."

 

"Sure thing," Reyna mock-saluted to him and set off into the trees.

 

Nico sighed and slumped back against the Athena Parthenos, closing his eyes. The sounds of birds and small woodland animals would have quickly lulled him to sleep were it not for the incessant sound of shuffling and pacing a few feet away.

 

"So..." Will bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet. "That shadow travel thing you do. That's pretty cool."

 

Nico opened one eye and looked at Will. "Is that your attempt at small talk?"

 

"Um... yes? I'm sorry, I just really don't like silence. There's been too much of it in my life."

 

"So talk," Nico fully opened his eyes and sat up. "You've got some freaky power explaining to do too." He patted the space next to him on the base of the statue and Will happily obliged, sitting next to him.

 

He'd never even talked to anyone other than his grandmother, and now he had two traveling companions who could possibly become his friends if he played his cards right. The whole experience was odd. He didn't know what to expect from them.

 

"I'm not supposed to talk about it," Will admitted. "But I guess I've broken enough rules today that it won't really weigh on my conscience too much. What do you want to know?"

 

"How does it work?"

 

Will frowned. "You've already seen how it works. And I just told Reyna. I can kiss small wounds and they heal instantly. For more serious injuries, I sing the hymn. There's this kind of wave I feel in my hands when whole glowing aura thing happens, and I can feel the other person's body pulling itself back together. Like it's harnessing strength from me. But it doesn't affect me at all."

 

"And you never wondered where this power came from?"

 

"Grandmother told me I was born from the ichor from Helios' wounds. That, along with her blessing, brought me to life and gave me my power."

 

Nico looked skeptical. "I've only ever heard of demigods having these kinds of powers."

 

Demigods were almost as bad as the Gods themselves. He'd heard the stories of rogue demigods using their powers for evil and trying to overthrow the Gods, and worse, demigods working together with the Gods to try to destroy the Titans.

 

Will shook his head, refusing to scare himself more with the thought of being associated with them. "I'm not a demigod."

 

"From what your _grandmother_ told you, no, you're not a demigod. But I have a feeling she's told you a lot of things that aren't exactly true," Nico shrugged.

 

"What are you suggesting?"

 

"I'm suggesting that you may not know what you're talking about."

 

"Are you saying grandmother was lying to me?"

 

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Nico slumped against the statue again.

 

"Well you're wrong," Will crossed his arms. "I have proof."

 

Nico waited for an explanation and was met with silence. He looked over to where Will sat, trying to look as serious and stern as possible. He looked more like a puppy dog trying to assert his dominance. Nico had to bite back a smirk. "And what proof do you have?"

 

"I can't say."

 

Nico wanted to slam his head against the marble statue. It had to be less painful than the current conversation he was having.

 

"Fine. Don't tell me. But you're not who you think you are."

 

"Tandem puer solis liberari," Will muttered.

 

"What?"

 

" _The child of the sun to be freed at last_. It's a line in a prophecy about me. I'm the child of the sun. Helios. That's my proof."

 

Nico sighed. "Listen, Will, you've got it wrong. The sun doesn't have anything to do with Helios. It's Apollo you're thinking of."

 

"No," Will backed away from him. It couldn't be true. The Gods were vengeful and cruel and evil. "You're wrong. I have nothing to do with the Olympians."

 

"You have everything to do with them, actually. You've just been locked away so long that you don't know."

 

"Don't blame grandmother for this, she was just trying to protect me!"

 

"What's your birthday?"

 

The question threw him off. He blinked slowly. "What?"

 

"What is your birthday, Will? Has your grandmother told you that?"

 

"June twenty first, but-" he began, but Nico cut him off.

 

"The summer solstice," Nico said, "the day of the festival honoring Apollo and his lost son. That festival will celebrate its eighteenth anniversary next week. You're turning eighteen in a week, aren't you?"

 

Will sat in stunned silence. Nico simply raised an eyebrow in the other boy's direction and shrugged. "I told you. You have nothing to do with Helios."

 

"Grandmother was protecting me against the Gods' wrath. They don't want me to exist because I'm too powerful. I don't believe you."

 

"Trust me, the Gods aren't my favorite people ever. But they aren't the worst people to know. One of them is my dad, after all. You don't want to believe me, ask Reyna then. She won't lie to you."

 

Will, who could no longer stand to look Nico in the eye, stared at the ground. "Why are you telling me this?"

 

"Because it's the truth. The whole immortal world knows about you. Every demigod on the planet knows your story."

 

Will stood and backed away from Nico, partially out of anger, partially out of fear. He was one of _them_. "If you really think I'm this infamous Apollo child, prove it! Take me into town and show them all I'm alive. Let me see this supposed festival."

 

"Are you kidding?" Nico stood as well. He tried to meet Will's eyes, but had to glance up slightly because Will was about three inches taller than him. "I can't be seen anywhere public. I'm a criminal. And you're my accomplice. We both have to lie low from now on."

 

"Then how am I supposed to believe you?"

 

"I don't know. Maybe you can try having a little trust?"

 

"Trusting a criminal. That seems logical."

 

The two boys glared at each other. Nico just barely noticed the tears in Will's eyes.

He felt guilty for only a second before he remembered the burden that Will was already becoming. He couldn't bring himself to feel sympathy him for more than a few moments, then he went right back to resenting him. Why Reyna thought it would be a good idea to bring him along, Nico didn't know. He was already more trouble than it was worth. And now they were stuck with him.

 

"If you two are done bickering," Reyna revealed herself, emerging from the trees a few feet away, "there's a stream about three hundred feet in that direction. There's no one in the immediate vicinity. I would have scoped out a wider perimeter but I got distracted by your yelling."

 

Will looked away quickly swiped at his eyes. He hated how easily he got upset at everything. He'd been scolded all throughout his life. _Don't be so sensitive. Don't let little things get you down. Don't cry over everything._ He wasn't supposed to show weakness.

"Sorry about that," he said to Reyna. He faked a smile and sauntered over to her with a false bounce in his step. "So, when are we eating lunch? I'm starving."

 

Reyna glanced between the two boys. "Soon," she said carefully. "Nico, why don't you go and look for someplace we can eat?"

 

"Gladly," Nico huffed. He stormed off into the trees without another word.

 

Will dejectedly sat on the ground and buried his head in his arms. Reyna placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

 

"I don't understand why he's so angry," said Will. "I didn't think I did anything wrong."

 

Reyna sighed and sat down next to him. "Don't worry about Nico. He thinks the whole world is against him," she explained. "He's been through a lot, and it's really hard for him to like people. It takes him a long time to open up to anyone. I've been his best friend for years and he's still hesitant about letting me know what's going on with him. You just have to give him his space."

 

"What has he been through that's so bad?" Will asked. "I can't imagine anything being that awful that he'd keep it all to himself."

 

Reyna smiled sadly. "Maybe one day he'll tell you."

 

Will nodded, then hesitated before asking, "Do you really think I'm Apollo's lost son?"

 

He glanced up at her. His wide-eyed expression made him look so vulnerable and young, despite the fact that Reyna was roughly the same age as him. She hated to hurt him with the truth.

 

She sighed, "Yes, I really do. Which is the other reason I was so insistent on bringing you along. Gaea has done a lot of bad things to a lot of people, including kidnapping you. I didn't want her to hurt any more innocent people."

 

Will couldn't imagine grandmother doing anything so terrible, especially to him. She took care of him all of his life. She loved him. Of course, she did get frustrated any time Will suggested leaving the tower. And there were a few times where she got really angry and broke furniture or locked Will in his room for a couple of days. But that was normal. She wouldn't ever really hurt him... right?

 

"I can promise you one thing, though. Nico would never try to hurt you, and neither would I,” said Reyna, as if she were reading his mind. "He and I will keep you safe. I promise."

 

He wanted to believe her. He really did. But his entire life he'd been taught that all demigods were no good. He really hoped Reyna and Nico would be exceptions.

 

Nico emerged from the trees a few seconds later. "Okay, good news, no monsters have managed to track us down yet."

 

"And the bad news?" Reyna asked.

 

"Camp Jupiter has," he said.

 

_Camp Jupiter?_ Will wondered. It couldn't have been a good thing, considering the grim expression on Reyna's face.

 

She swore under her breath. "I should have known they'd manage to get a search party out after us. Someone probably spotted us in the city. How far out are they?"

 

"About eight hundred feet northwest of here," said Nico, glancing in that direction. "There's a tavern and a couple convenience stores near there too. It's a risky trip, but if we can manage to avoid them-"

 

"We have to. We didn't account for a third person being with us. We won't have enough food to last the whole trip if we don't stop for something now."

 

They both looked at Will, who wished he could disappear into the shadows the way Nico did. Whoever these Camp Jupiter people were, they were dangerous, and Will was forcing Nico and Reyna straight into their territory. The guilt would start to eat away at him, the way it always did.

 

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm putting you two in danger."

 

"We would have had to stop sooner or later anyway," Reyna reassured him. "We'll get there and back just fine. Don't worry about it."

 

* * *

 

It was hard not to worry when death seemed to be glaring you down from every direction.

 

Teenagers and adults walked by openly wielding daggers, swords, and other threatening-looking weapons. Most of the people who passed them didn't bother to give them a second glance.

 

"So these people... they're all demigods?" Will asked in a hushed tone.

 

"Not exactly," Reyna replied. "Most of them are legacies, but only the Romans really acknowledge them."

 

Romans, Greeks, demigods, legacies... they all seemed like the same thing to Will: dangerous.

 

A streetsign in the distance read _Beauzac, France, 32 kilomètres au sud-est._ The purple-clad men and women milled around almost aimlessly, stopping to talk to one another every once in a while. They seemed almost bored. Luckily for Will, Nico, and Reyna, that meant they could fit right in with the group easily. They slipped past tents and campfires that were mid-construction and made it safely to the doors of the tavern.

 

And that's when everything went wrong.

 

"Nico, we've got trouble," Reyna whispered and gestured to the back of the shop. A man not too much older than Will sat in a giant chair, surrounded by a dozen other men and women who seemed to be placing bets and waging their weapons and supplies. His stringy blonde hair fell into his face as he collected piled of golden drachma.

 

"Octavian," Nico growled. "Figures, he'd be leading the party to find us first." He turned to Will. "Keep your head down."

 

"Who is he?" Will asked in a whisper.

 

"Bad news," Reyna shook her head and sighed. She grabbed Will by his wrist and pulled him behind a pillar. "It's best if we get our stuff and get out as fast as possible. We need money and nectar, and some ambrosia if we can manage to get it."

 

"I'll do it," Will volunteered, then immediately regretted it. He pushed down his fear. He couldn't afford to be afraid right now. Besides, if it weren't for him, they wouldn't need to be here in the first place. "You two can't be seen, but he doesn't know who I am. I can cause a distraction while you two grab what we need and get out without getting caught."

 

"Are you sure about this?" Reyna asked. "Octavian is dangerous."

 

Will shrugged and held his head up high. "I wanted an adventure. What's an adventure without a little danger?"

 

* * *

 

Exerting more confidence than he actually had, Will sauntered through the dark tavern, checking his surroundings. Groups of young adults - young _demigods_ , mostly, from what Nico and Reyna had told him - sat eating and drinking together at tables. He would have assumed they were just average people if he hadn't been paying attention. At the head of one table a girl casually leaned on the handle of her sword. At another, the figure of what seemed to be a purple ghost floated right through the chair. Opposite of them, a young man with red-stained lips was busy guzzling down what Will could only assume was wine.

 

Will picked up bits of conversation as he approached the head chair.

 

"You're absolutely sure you saw Reyna?" Octavian asked a younger girl who kneeled before him.

 

She stuttered out her answer, "I'm positive. She was wearing her praetor's badge and everything. She was with some teenage guy. I didn't get a good look at him."

 

Octavian frowned down at her. "What did he look like?"

 

"I only saw the back of his head. He had dark hair. Tall. That's all I know, I'm sorry," the girl shrunk back in fear as Octavian narrowed his eyes at her.

 

"Drop the money and get out of my sight" Octavian grumbled. The girl quickly emptied her pockets of gold coins and ran away as fast as possible.

 

That's when Will realized. They weren't placing bets. They were giving Octavian sacrificial offerings.

 

He sat on the chair like it was a throne and he was a king looking over his subjects. "Who else has something to report?" he called out.

 

_Now or never_ , Will thought as he made his way up to the center of the crowd. "I have some information for you."

 

The entire room fell silent. Will took a hesitant step forward as Octavian stared him down. The floorboards creaked under his weight. There were so many eyes on him he couldn't count them if he tried.

 

He took a deep breath before continuing. "This boy Reyna was traveling with... he wasn't a demigod," he improvised. "It was a mortal kid. A cousin of hers..."

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw Reyna sneak around to the back of Octavian's chair and successfully snatch various flasks full of multi-colored liquids, stashing them in her bag and retreating back into the darkness.

 

"Which would explain the family resemblance, you know, the dark hair, the height," he babbled. "And I don't know why she'd be out in public so openly. Maybe showing him the sights around the city or whatever."

 

Glancing to the left, he saw Nico silently approaching Octavian's table full of weapons and coins.

 

"Who are you?" Octavian asked. "Have I seen you around the fifth cohort?"

 

"Yes," Will lied.

 

Octavian wasn't buying it. "Where's your tattoo?" He asked carefully, slowly standing from his chair and walking towards Will. "Or have you not earned it yet? And in that case, why isn't your probatio tablet around your neck?"

 

Will took a cautionary step back, but he was stopped by two very threatening-looking campers with even more threatening-looking weapons. One grabbed him by the collar and the other pointed his dagger at Will's chest.

 

"I think we have a spy among us. From Camp Half-Blood most likely," Octavian growled. "You two know what to do with Greeks who try to cross me."

 

Before Will could even blink, Nico jumped from behind the pillar, unsheathing his obsidian-black sword and tackling Octavian to the ground, straddling him and holding the tip of the sword to his neck. The entire crowd tensed, most of them pulling out weapons of their own, half of them pointed at Will, the other half at Nico.

 

"Nico di Angelo," Octavian sneered, struggling to get the words out. "I should have known you were behind this. Still working for Percy Jackson and those graecus scum, I see." 

 

"I don't work for Percy or the Greeks or anybody else! I work for myself!"

 

"Who is Percy Jackson?" Will asked. One of Octavian's cronies slapped a hand over his mouth.

 

"That's none of your business." Nico snapped. "Just let him go, Octavian."

 

"But it's so much more tempting to take you both prisoner," Octavian grinned.

 

They were stuck at a stalemate. If either side made a move, it'd end in bloodshed. Will didn't dare try to escape the grasp of the two campers, who still stood ready to attack at Octavian's command.

 

The command would have come at any second, were it not for the explosion.

 

The back wall of the tavern caved in as a giant cloud of smoke consumed the airspace all around them. Will took this first chance to duck out of the way of the two campers, who swung at each other out of confusion. Nico jumped to his feet and slashed at the row of people standing before him, who all retreated.

 

To his right, Will saw Reyna dashing through the crowd collecting more supplies. In her hands, she held vials of green liquid, which, once thrown a considerable distance, exploded in a flash of bright fire and smoke.

 

"What are you waiting for? GO!" she yelled.

 

It took Will a minute to realize Reyna was talking to him. After coming to his senses, he ran towards Nico, who sliced his way through groups of Roman demigods effortlessly.

 

Octavian's angry yells rang through the chaos as Will and Nico dashed through the hole in the wall and made a break for the trees. Reyna followed close behind, throwing one more green vial for good measure, which immediately burst into an emerald-green inferno.

 

"Greek fire," she cackled. "Gods, I love that stuff."

 

* * *

 

Minutes later, the exhausted trio stumbled their way back into the clearing in the woods where the Athena Parthenos stood right where they left it. It seemed to be staring them down, asking _Hey, where have you been?_ Reyna threw her bag to the ground and plopped down next to it, pulling out a bottle of water and drinking it all down in two swallows.

 

Nico reclaimed his earlier seat at the base of the statue and began tending to the scratches on his hands and arms. Will wanted to reach out and help him. It was an uncontrollable impulse - seeing injuries and immediately wanting to fix them. It was the only thing he knew he could always do right. He'd have to learn to fight down those urges.

 

To distract himself, he decided to make conversation. "Why did you reveal yourself back there?"

 

Nico sorted through his own bag, pulled out a bandage, and began wrapping it around his wrist. "I couldn't let them hurt you." Will may have taken that as a compliment, if it weren't followed by, "It would have been a huge waste of time if you got yourself killed."

 

"I'm sorry I put you guys in danger back there," Will said. "I could have stalled longer or been a better liar or something. Anything."

 

"Don't blame yourself, Will," Reyna said. "That wasn't bad at all for your first time. You should have seen most demigods on their first quests, they were even worse disasters than that."

 

There she was again, referring to Will as a demigod. The thought still made him sick to his stomach. He just couldn't rid himself of the awful imagery of demigods that grandmother had planted in his head. Then again, two demigods had just saved his life.

 

Maybe they weren't all that bad. Maybe.

 

Nico glanced up at the sky. "The sun is almost set. We've got to get going. If any of them managed to make it out of that fire, they'll be after us."

 

"They'll probably have search parties no matter where we go next," Reyna huffed. "Wherever that may be."

 

"We're in France," Will blurted out. "I saw a sign earlier. We're maybe twenty miles away from a city called Beauzac."

 

A mischievous grin spread across Reyna's face. "Nico, don't we have a friend living in France?"

 

"It's like you read my mind, Reyna," Nico said. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind housing three outlaws for a day or two."

 

* * *

 

 

The sensation of turning into pure darkness and emerging hundreds of miles away in one piece wasn't anything he could ever get used to. Shadow traveling wasn't the most enjoyable experience, but at least the second time, Will knew what to expect.

 

Nico, Reyna and the statue all landed standing straight up, although Reyna looked a bit disoriented. Meanwhile, Will fell flat on his face and struggled to find his balance.

 

A modern-looking two-story house stood in front of them. The front porch light flickered on as the figure of a young woman stepped out the front door. She brushed her dark brown hair from her face and blinked the sleep from her eyes. Her jaw fell open at the sight of the statue. She looked even more surprised to see who was transporting it.

 

"Nico? Reyna, is that you?" she called out.

 

"Hey Piper," Nico said sheepishly. "Mind if we crash here for a little while?"

 

* * *

 

 

_That ungrateful, lying, disobedient little cretin._

 

Gaea felt his disappearance immediately. She could sense him traveling across the earth the moment his feet touched the ground.

 

She made her way back to the tower as fast as she could, but it was too late to stop him. By now, he could be thousands of miles away. She angrily broke down the door at the base of the tower and stormed up the stairs. The entire main living area was destroyed, either from falling debris or human carelessness. Not once piece of furniture was in its correct place.

 

Gaea slowly crept her way into Will's bedroom, where nothing was out of place except for an empty space on his bookshelf.

 

She'd gone nearly eighteen years without an incident. Killing that mortal woman and stealing Will had been easy enough. Hiding him away from the Gods had been tricky, but not impossible. And of course, she'd raised him so that he'd never dare to disobey her.

 

Until now.

 

His powers were too strong. He'd be too powerful a weapon to them. He could be the one person to cause Gaea's downfall. If the Gods got a hold of him now... she didn't want to think about how it would end.


	3. Ostende Virtutem Tuam

Nico had tried to give him a short explanation as Piper welcomed them in. "She's an old friend of mine. She and her friends Leo and Jason showed up around December one year at Camp Half-Blood. I only knew her for a little while before she left on her quest, but she's still one of my only real friends."

 

"So you haven't seen her in years?" Will asked.

 

"Oh, no, of course we've seen her," Nico said. "She has the power of charmspeak, so she can get away with lying about almost anything. She's been talking with her old friends in secret for months now. Knowing her, she wouldn't be able to stay away from Leo and her boyfriend Jason for any extended period of time."

 

Reyna smirked. "Just like a true daughter of Aphrodite."

 

After introductions were made and lots of hugs were exchanged between old friends, Piper flitted around her kitchen, setting the table and filling plates to the rim with what seemed to be an endless supply of junk food. The conversations all blended into each other. One second they were discussing travel plans, and the next they were catching up with the events that had happened in the past few years, most of which Will was still completely clueless about. _Doors of Death? Tartarus?_ Most of their discussion didn't seem to make any sense.

 

"No, the Doors are still open, sadly. The quest can't continue without me," said Piper. "But according to Jason and Leo's letters, Percy's back with Annabeth at Camp for the summer."

 

"Good for him," Nico grunted. "But without you, Hazel and Frank, the prophecy still can't come true. All seven of you are needed."

 

"I know," Piper sighed, "but with Frank and Hazel being tracked down by Jupiter's army, its hard for us to make any progress. They've been on the run for months. At least now that you and Reyna have the statue, one piece of the puzzle is in place."

 

"I'm sorry about that, by the way," Reyna said. "If I'd known it wasn't Leo's fault for firing on Camp-"

 

"Don't worry about that," Piper interrupted. "There's nothing we can do about it now."

 

When they mentioned things Will _was_ knowledgeable about, like Gaea and the Titans, he kept quiet, silently staring down at his place. Eventually, that conversation died out too, which Will was grateful for.

 

"If I'd been expecting you guys I would have prepared better," Piper said.

 

Reyna gratefully feasted on the bowl of green grapes in front of her. "Don't worry about it. You know we're used to a little chaos. Have you settled in here alright?"

 

Earlier, Piper had explained how she had come ("More like 'got forcibly dragged'," she explained) to Paris with her dad. The McLean family was extremely wealthy and could easily afford a vacation home or two or five. Their current home was massive. Will had tried not to stare in awe as they'd entered the main hallway. Lofty white curtains covered the two-story windows, which looked out onto a cobblestone-lined courtyard and private garden. The dining table was pure cherry wood, covered in a satin tablecloth and set for a complete five-course meal. It almost felt like a crime to be eating snacks in such an elegant atmosphere.

 

"We've managed well enough so far," she sighed, taking the seat next to Will. "I miss it back home, but knowing my dad, we'll be somewhere new in less than a year. Dad's never really home, so he won't know you guys were ever here. And the place is huge, so we have lots of spare bedrooms. Each with their own private bathrooms. You can make yourselves at home."

 

"I call dibs on the biggest shower," Reyna said immediately. "Mind showing me the way?"

 

Piper stood and jokingly curtsied in her direction, waving her hand in a flourish towards the staircase. "Right this way, m'lady."

 

The girls left the room, which left Will and Nico sitting alone at the dining table. It was so silent, Will might have thought Nico was asleep if the other boy hadn't been sitting up and poking at his plate with his fork.

 

"So...." Will began, "No offense or anything, but I thought the people from Camp all hated you."

 

"Piper is my friend from the _Greek_ camp," said Nico, sighing and rubbing his fingers against his temples. "Though neither side likes me very much anymore."

 

Will tiled his head in confusion. "I don't understand."

 

"Everyone is after me. The Romans are against me because they think I'm a double agent," Nico explained. "I blended in with them and lived among them for a few months. Once they found out I'm Greek, they didn't take it well. Greeks and Romans don't exactly get along. Having Reyna at my side only makes the grudge between the two sides even worse. Everyone thinks I'm a traitor."

 

"Oh..." Will stared down at his lap. "I... I'm sorry."

 

"Stop apologizing for everything," said Nico. "Have you noticed you do that a lot? Not everything is your fault. You don't have to say you're sorry."

 

"I'm sor-" Will began, then quickly stopped himself. "I'll try to stop."

 

It was then Will realized he would have preferred the silence. It seemed to be every conversation he had with the di Angelo boy would leave him feeling angry, upset, guilty, or an odd combination of all three.

 

Luckily, Piper reentered the room at that moment and helped diffuse the tension. "Nico, do you want me to show you to your room?"

 

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure I can find it myself," said Nico. "Thanks for dinner by the way."

 

"You're welcome," Piper said. "It's right upstairs, second door to the left."

 

Without another word, Nico stood, dropped his empty plate in the sink, and made his way upstairs. The sound of his footsteps faded as he closed the door to his bedroom for the night.

 

Piper sat down next to Will again and twirled the end of her braid between her fingers. "So how exactly did the infamous lost son of Apollo end up with Nico and Reyna of all people?"

 

"You too?" Will asked.

 

"'Me too' what?"

 

"You think I'm Apollo's son," Will explained. "Everyone thinks that."

 

"Actually, I really only thought that because Reyna told me," Piper admitted. "But now that I get a good look at you, I think she's right. Blonde hair, blue eyes, slight tan. Aside from the hint of freckles across your nose, you look just like him."

 

"It could be a coincidence," Will muttered, bringing a hand to his face. He'd never felt self-conscious about his appearance, but now he suddenly felt the need to hide his hair and face and freckles from everyone.

 

"Do you really believe that?" asked Piper. "Will, one of my first nights at Camp Half-Blood before I left for my quest, the kids were sitting around the campfire telling your story. At first I thought it was something they'd made up until Mr. D told me it was true."

 

"Mr. D?"

 

"Dionysus. You know, the god of wine," Piper shrugged. "He's a counselor at camp."

 

Will blinked at her like she'd just grown an extra head, but she ignored him and continued.

 

"Not only did he say the story about Gaea kidnapping Apollo's son was true, but he said that Apollo still regularly visited camp undercover just to check and see if his son somehow made it there."

 

"Doesn't Apollo have lots of other kids though? Why would this one be so special?"

 

"No one knows," said Piper. "But we know that, for whatever reason, Gaea wanted him for herself. Wanted _you_ for herself."

 

_For my powers_ , Will though. For a moment he almost felt inclined to tell her. But if that was Gaea's true reason behind kidnapping him, then it'd only put him in even more danger if more people knew about it.

 

"Gaea's the reason I'm stuck here in Paris instead of staying at Camp, you know."

 

"What do you mean?" Will asked.

 

Piper sighed. "You're not the only person whose life was ruined by her. Her Giant son Enceladus held my dad captive to try to lure Jason, Leo and I into a trap. We were able to defeat him, but my dad was nearly driven insane after being trapped and tortured for so long."

 

Will placed a comforting hand on hers as she continued, "He knew nothing about the immortal world before that happened. He didn't even know I was a demigod, or that my mother was Aphrodite. He wanted to be okay with my new life, he really did. But once I set off on my most recent quest and we were attacked at Camp Jupiter that was the last straw. I was supposed to be one of seven demigods to fulfill an ancient prophecy about destroying Gaea once and for all, but we failed. The Romans attacked us. Our ship was destroyed. We barely made it out alive. Hazel and Frank, the two demigods I mentioned earlier, were supposed to be part of the quest too, but they're still considered Roman traitors and neither side will welcome them."

 

"Is Reyna considered a traitor too?" Will asked.

 

Piper nodded. "She ran away from Camp Jupiter when she was fifteen, a little while after Jason left. She abandoned her position as Praetor. She and Nico met up not too long after and vowed to work together to unite the two sides. They're really the only reason why I can still talk to my old friends. They're the only reason the prophecy of the seven still has a chance to succeed. If only I could get back to Camp. Now that my dad knows how dangerous it is out there for me... well, lets just say I won't ever be returning if he has any say in it. Gaea and her army are too much of a threat on my life. He doesn't want to risk losing me again."

 

Will shook his head in disbelief. "This is all Gaea's fault... How could anyone be so cruel?"

 

"If you think that's bad, you should hear what she did to Leo…" Piper took a deep breath to regain her composure. "My point is, Will, Gaea is bad news. She's a liar. She will manipulate you into trusting her and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Reyna and Nico really do have good intentions behind taking you away from home, as hard as that is to believe. I'll admit, I didn't really trust Nico when I first met him, either. A lot of people don't. But I have proof that he has good intentions. You'll grow to love him and trust him, eventually."

 

That seemed highly unlikely. Nico couldn't even stand him. As hard as he tried, he didn't think he and Nico would ever get along, let alone be friends. Then again, it had only been a day. Maybe they could make some progress with time. At least Will hoped they would.

 

Piper squeezed Will's hand, then let go. "Please believe me, Will. I wouldn't lie to you." She stood, the chair scraping against the floor as she did. "You can stay in the room next to mine, third door to the right. You have a tough journey to make. But with Nico and Reyna at your side, you won't have any problem getting to Camp Half-Blood. Get some rest tonight, okay?"

 

With that, Piper left the room, turning to give Will one last encouraging smile before walking upstairs into her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

 

Will's thoughts kept him awake into the early hours of the morning.

 

At first he'd been wary around Piper. That charmspeak of hers wasn't the most trustworthy thing. But the way she had almost started tearing up while talking about her dad, and the slight break in her voice every time she said Jason’s name... Heartbreak like that couldn't be faked.

 

Gaea was a threat, Will was almost sure of that. Too many signs pointed to the truth of her wickedness. But Will’s entire childhood was shrouded in memories of Gaea’s love and care and generosity.

 

And, on a few occasions, anger and frustration and rage. Though she very rarely showed that side of herself, it was enough to make him sure that she wasn't who she said she was. Piper, Nico, and Reyna only proved that point further.

 

He padded his way up the stairs as quietly as he could. Despite how late it was, lights still shone through the space under Piper's door, which made him think he wasn't the only one keeping himself awake tonight.

 

The first thing he noticed in his guest room was the king-sized bed covered with more pillows than he could count. Sitting at the foot of the bed was his bag, his copy of Sleeping Beauty sticking out of the top. This book that'd he'd grown up loving and reading every day suddenly left a bitter taste in his mouth. It had been his first gift from her. Reading it planted the idea in his head that he'd one day marry a prince and live happily ever after. Now that dream had crashed and burned and he realized the truth behind his "grandmother's" lies. She'd been telling him stories all his life, but they were just as fake as his fairytales.

 

Will grabbed the book and threw it across the room, not caring whether or not it would get ruined. The front cover skidded across the wood floor, the gold lettering peeling off on the corners.

 

He tossed the blankets back and buried his head into the pillows, trying his hardest not to let the negative thoughts get to him.

 

Tomorrow, he'd be traveling with Nico and Reyna again. Tomorrow they'd be further away from the tower and further away from Gaea. Their travels will bring them closer to Camp Half-Blood, closer to uniting the Greeks and Romans, closer to freedom.


	4. Convertimini Tempus

Will felt like he had just barely closed his eyes when a knock on the door pulled him from his slumber.

The clock on the bedside read 4:00AM. Nico stood in the doorway, his hair and clothes messy and tousled from sleep. The dark circles under his eyes were even more prominent than usual.

"Are you awake?" he asked quietly, "We've got to get going. Before sunrise. Will?"

Will sighed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I'm awake," he said. "I'll be down in a minute."

Nico nodded and left silently.

Will had barely been asleep long enough to dream, but visions of dark shadows and people screaming clouded in the back of his mind. Nightmares like this usually happened when he thought too hard about his prophecy. _A lost most wrong to set things right._ That line usually left a bitter taste in his mouth and an ache in his stomach. And now, on the morning of June sixteenth, they were only five days away from setting the prophecy in motion.

And Reyna and Nico still had no idea, which was another thing he had to worry about. He couldn't push away the nagging fear that they'd leave him behind once they found out the whole prophecy. He'd only briefly discussed it with Nico, and even then he'd only mentioned the line referring to him as the child of the sun. If they knew about the bad side, surely they wouldn't want him tagging along anymore.

Then again, from what Piper had told him, Nico and Reyna had experienced their fair share of loss too, none of which they'd mentioned to Will. They all had their secrets.

Will finally managed to force himself out of bed at 4:30, kicking the blankets and his book, which still lay on the floor, out of his way as he left the room. He hastily tugged a hand through his unruly mess of blonde waves as he walked downstairs into the kitchen. Nico sat at the head of the table halfheartedly shoving a slice of toast in his mouth. Reyna lay with her head on the table, hair splayed out around her face, muttering angrily as Piper slid a glass of orange juice in her direction.

"No," she grumbled. "Orange is too happy a color. Being up this early should be a crime."

"I'm sorry," Piper said, brushing some hair from Reyna's face, "But my dad's coming back today, so I couldn't let you guys stay until tonight."

"Plus, we have a deadline to meet," said Nico.

Reyna simply groaned again, refusing to lift her head. Piper rolled her eyes, but she had a hint of a smile on her face. Instead of dealing with Reyna's early-morning attitude, she turned to Will and gestured to the plate of breakfast pastries in front of her. "Well these muffins aren't going to eat themselves. Help yourself."

Half an hour later, with full stomachs and bags packed, the trio wished Piper a heartfelt goodbye. She even gave Will a brief hug as she handed him a small bag.

"There's some food in here. Apples and pears and a couple other fruits and things," she explained. "I know those two eat nothing but junk and carbs. They'll have you on a pure sugar diet in no time."

Will smiled and nodded gratefully.

Piper gave Nico a one-armed hug and ruffled his hair, to his annoyance. He glared at her, which she ignored as she moved on to hug Reyna goodbye as well.

"Could you do me a favor?" Piper asked. "When you get to camp, tell everyone that I miss them. And tell Jason-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll tell blondie that you love him and all that junk," Reyna teased. "No need to get all sentimental and emotional. We'll see you again soon, I promise."

Piper pulled her in for one last hug before stepping back, wiping a tear from her eye. "Good luck. Not that you'll need it."

With that, Nico linked hands with Reyna and Will and worked his magic. At once, the world around them turned to pitch-black emptiness. The McLean family's large manor disappeared, engulfed in smoke and darkness, as a strange falling sensation came over them.

Shadow traveling seemed to take forever to Will, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed before the three of them and the Athena Parthenos landed in the middle of an empty park. Will squinted through the darkness and could just spot a large lake surrounded by trees in front of them. Behind them stood an elegant-looking fountain. If it weren't for the fact that it was five in the morning, the park would have probably been full of tourists.

Nico swayed where he stood. "Where are we?"

"Parc de la Ciutadella," Reyna muttered, glancing at the name on a map near them, "Ciutadella Park. Barcelona. Why are we in Barcelona?"

"I must've overshot my landing," Nico slurred. "This is way... way further than I meant to go."

Reyna placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Just... tired. Don't worry about it," Nico grumbled, then he promptly fell to the ground, unconscious.

Reyna dropped to her knees, supporting Nico's head on her lap and feeling his forehead. She frowned and looked up at Will. "He's not running a fever. I'm assuming your healing can't fix exhaustion."

"Unfortunately, no," said Will. "I'm no doctor, but I'm assuming we'll just have to wait for him to sleep it off."

And wait they did. By sunrise, the Ciutadella park was already welcoming a steady stream of people. No one questioned the giant statue of Athena behind them. Either they assumed it was part of the park's scenery or the mist disguised it as something common. Whatever it was, Will was grateful it wasn't drawing too much attention in their direction.

About every hour or so, a concerned adult would approach them warily. The first time it had been an older-looking woman who questioned them in Spanish.

"Está su hijo enfermo?" she asked in a heavy accent.

"Uh, no es mi hijo," Reyna blushed bright red, but smiled politely at the woman. "Es mi amigo, y él es bien, gracias."

"Lo siento, cariño," she replied, "¿Necesita medicamento? Hay una farmacia cerca de aquí. Te voy a mostrar, sígueme -"

"Gracias, pero no," Reyna snapped. She turned to Will and whispered, "This city has a really bad pickpocketing reputation. Don't go anywhere with anyone, they'll rob you blind." She returned her attention to the woman. "No necesitamos su ayuda. No tengo miedo a llamar a la policía."

Will was extremely confused. He didn't understand a word of Spanish, but it was easy enough to tell that "policía" meant police and Reyna had just threatened her. The woman seemed highly offended and stormed off.

Half an hour later a young man took a seat next to Reyna. He was handsome, Will noted, but he gave off an extremely arrogant air.

"¿Por qué es una muchacha bonita con él?" He winked at her. "¿Quieres un hombre guapo que puede satisfacerle, ¿no?"

Reyna made no attempt to hide the disgusted look on her face. "No me interesa. Además, tengo un cuchillo muy afilado y yo no tengo miedo de utilizarlo."

The boy paled and backed away. Reyna bit back a smirk as he ran off. Meanwhile, Nico still lay asleep with his head in Reyna's lap.

"What just happened?" Will asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.

Reyna shrugged. "He was flirting with me. I just told him I wasn't interested. That's all."

Pickpocketing old women and creepy young men weren't the worst of their worries. Reyna would eavesdrop on peoples' conversations and translate out loud for Will, and more than once, she overheard talk of people seeing large groups of people in purple t-shirts gathering nearby, which could only mean Camp Jupiter was still hunting them. Just another reminder of how dangerous this quest was.

Before they knew it, four hours had passed. The di Angelo boy didn't seem any closer to waking, and the park was growing more crowded by the minute. Excited groups of children ran in the same direction, yelling eagerly about " _los monos_ " and " _los osos_ ".

"Monkeys and bears," Reyna explained. "There's a zoo on the other side of the park."

"A real zoo? With exotic birds and huge exhibits?" Will asked. "I've never even seen what one looks like. I've only read about them."

"I can tell," Reyna laughed. "You're practically bouncing out of your seat. You seem almost as excited as those kids."

He hadn't realized it before, but he actually _was_ jittering at the thought. Going to the zoo would be the first non-life-threatening fun thing he'd done on this whole adventure.

"Go," Reyna said. "Have some fun."

"Are you sure?" asked Will.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied. "Unless you want to sit here and watch me get uncomfortably hit on for the next few hours while I try to wake Nico up. Just meet us back here before sunset."

Will hopped up, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "I'll be back on time, I promise."

"Oh, and Will?"

"Yes?"

"Could you buy me one of those souvenir hats with the animal ears on it? I'm going to put it on Nico while he sleeps. It'll be hilarious."

* * *

After two hours of watching colorful exotic birds fly around and pressing buttons on displays in the interactive exhibits and - yes - buying Nico a zebra-print cap with little ears on it, Will made his way into the terrarium reptile exhibit.

A group of young boys and girls stood huddled around the bearded dragon's glass cage. Standing among them, Will felt a bit ridiculous, since he stood about two feet taller than most of them.

One of the little girls, a redhead with glasses and pigtails, tugged on the bottom of his shirt and looked up at him. "Creo que respira fuego. ¿Usted cree, señor?"

Will nodded enthusiastically, as if he knew exactly what she was saying. He couldn't wait until they were in America, that way he'd at least be able to understand what people were saying. She'd said something about fire and breathing and she'd called him sir, but other than that, he wasn't sure. He was fluent in English, Greek, and Latin, and he had studied German, French, and Italian in his free time, but he still couldn't quite comprehend Spanish, which frustrated him. The words and grammar were similar to what he was familiar with, but still he couldn't quite understand them.

Rather than give himself a headache trying to understand the constant chatter of the people around him, Will decided to isolate himself a bit, walking across the room to the nearly deserted reticulated python display.

The 15-foot-long serpent lay curled up asleep on the floor of its glass exhibit, surrounded by hundreds of tiny bones of what Will assumed to be mice. Apparently sleeping giant snakes weren't enough to keep the attention of large groups of eight-year olds.

It was no fire-breathing bearded dragon, but maybe the little red-haired girl would be impressed when the snake started talking.

_Will_ , a voice seemed to hiss directly into his ear.

Will whipped his head around, looking for the source of the noise, but there was no one around. Just him and the snake, which had now woken up and lifted its head to stare directly into Will's eyes.

_What are you doing here?_ the voice asked. The snake didn't move an inch, but the awful hissing continued. _Shouldn't you be back at home?_

_I don't have a home,_ Will thought. Thankfully, he didn't have to draw attention to himself by talking out loud. The python seemed to respond to his thoughts. _I'm not going back there._

_After everything your grandmother did for you?_

_You mean kidnapping me and lying to me?_ Will asked. _Why would I want to go back to that?_

The snake raised its head up higher so that it was eye level with Will. It slowly slithered forward. Its eyes glowed bright red. _But she protected you from everyone who would have used you._

_No, she... She used me. She was selfish and cruel,_ Will thought. Then again, that's only what Nico and Reyna and Piper had told him. They could be lying.

The python nodded its head. _That's right will, they're the real liars. Go back home. You can leave now and they'll never know._

Home sounded wonderful. He could have his books and his painting supplies and his grandmother back. His grandmother-

No. This was another one of Gaea's tricks. The red glow of the serpent's eyes seemed to pierce directly into his heart. He knew he was being hypnotized, but he couldn't seem to pull away from the temptation. Home...

At once, the python let out a deafening hiss as the bones surrounding its body latched around its mouth and neck. It writhed back and forth on the ground, being choked by the remains of its old prey. Will fell to his knees, clutching at the sides of his head, the sound painfully deafening all around him. This time it wasn't just in his head - the children and families inside the building all plugged their ears to block the noise as well.

The group including the little red-head girl all stared in his direction, absolutely petrified. And standing between the children and the python's cage was Nico di Angelo. He held an open palm against the glass with a pained expression on his face. His hand curled into a fist as the bones tightened around the python's mouth, suffocating it.

Slowly, the snake fell flat and stopped moving altogether. Nico dropped to one knee, exhaling loudly. He looked even more exhausted than he did earlier after his shadow jump. She stood up shakily and offered Will his hand. "Are you alright?"

Will accepted his hand and stood, still feeling dazed. "You... the snake..."

"I woke up a little while ago and decided to come looking for you. As for the snake, it was tempting you," Nico said. Both boys seemed to notice at the same time that they were still holding hands, and Nico snatched his arm away immediately, wiping his hand on his jeans and looking back in the direction of the python's cage "Gaea's sacred animal is the serpent, which is probably why she could possess that one. I really hope that wasn't an endangered species. It's not dead but it's pretty close."

"Um, thank you," Will, who couldn't think of anything else to do, took the zebra-print cap out of his bag and thrust it in Nico's direction, "This is yours. Reyna thought you... might like it."

Nico took the cap in one hand, giving Will a quizzical look before shrugging and putting it on. Reyna was right, it did look hilarious. "Thanks," he said.

The entire room still stood silent, staring at the two boys. The little red-haired girl bounded up to them, flanked by two of her friends. "Eso era más interesante que el dragón de respiración del fuego. ¿Cómo se hace eso?" She said, beaming up at Nico.

Nico, who seemed to understand about as much Spanish as Will did, nodded slowly, backing away from the crowds of people who started to surround them.

"On the count of three," Nico whispered. "Run. One... Two..."

The two boys bolted from the room just as they saw a woman approaching a security guard, no doubt about to report them for animal endangerment.

* * *

Reyna didn't have time to begin questioning Will and Nico on their whereabouts. She'd just began asking, "What happened?" when Nico cut her off.

"The Barcelona Zoo police might be after me because I accidentally almost murdered a snake that may or may not be endangered, I'm not totally sure," Nico said in one breath.

Reyna sighed exasperatedly. "Again? Really?"

Will couldn't help but wonder when Nico would have found the time to accidentally murder an endangered snake _twice_ in his life, but he thought it better not to ask.

"We'll need to find somewhere more secluded to hide out until nightfall," Nico continued. "We need to go. Now."

"I'll see what I can do," Reyna said. She brought her hand to her mouth and let out a high-pitched whistle. "Nice hat by the way, Nico."

Nico stuck his tongue out at her. A few minutes later, two large dark shapes appeared in the sky. Two pegasi dropped down in front of them, the bigger of the two trotting over to Reyna and pressing his nose into her open palm. Will could only imagine what the mortals were seeing. Maybe flying horses were a normal sight in Barcelona.

"Hey, Scipio," Reyna murmured. "It's good to see you, bud. Listen, I need a huge favor. Can you and your friend fly these two around and scope out the area, maybe find somewhere for us to hide out?"

"Why us?" Will asked.

"Someone has to stay and watch this thing," Reyna gestured to the Athena Parthenos, which still stood proudly behind them. "Camp Jupiter's still around here somewhere. We can't be too careful."

"Why do you get to be the one to watch it?" asked Nico. "Scipio's your pegasus, wouldn't he be more comfortable flying you while I watch Athena here?"

"You're still exhausted from the last shadow jump, you couldn't protect a fly."

"I protected Will from that snake," Nico said proudly.

"Which probably only sapped your energy more," Reyna pointed out. "I'll stay and watch the statue."

Nico pouted - which looked extremely hilarious, a seventeen-year-old in a zebra hat pouting like seven-year-old - but he had to admit Reyna had a point.

Within ten minutes, Nico had mounted Scipio and Will rode on the back of the other pegasus and they were a mile away from Ciutadella park.

The skies were clear and they had a perfect view of the city below them.

Will stared down in amazement. Nico couldn't help but smile. "First time riding a pegasus, huh?"

"Everything is so tiny," he said, awestruck. "I've never been up so high. The city is so beautiful from here."

Nico didn't think he'd ever get used to Will's childlike amusement with everything. Though he had to admit, it was a refreshing change from the usual serious mood he was in.

"Thank you, by the way," Will said.

"For what?" Nico asked.

"Saving me back there," said Will. "I was vulnerable and I would have fallen for that trap were it not for you."

Nico shrugged. "I wasn't just going to let you get hurt. Besides, you already thanked me, remember?" He gestured to the zerba-striped cap on his head.

"And I'm really grateful for that. The saving me and the ridiculous headwear," Will laughed. "I really can't do anything to make it up to you other than to thank you as sincerely as I can."

Nico was silent for a moment before quietly saying, "You're welcome."

It had only taken 48 hours of constantly being in each others' company, but Will was finally breaking through Nico's shell and getting along with him, even if it was just for this one moment. Will smiled to himself, feeling accomplished. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a huge expanse of trees and fields.

"Nico, look, over there," he pointed.

"Scipio, that way," Nico directed the pegasus. "Looks like a forest. Lots of trees. Perfect place to hide out."

In no time, they were soaring over the seemingly endless forest of trees and fields. They could drop down almost anywhere and be completely concealed. It really was a great place to take refuge for the rest of the day.

Everything seemed perfect. Which meant that it was the perfect time for things to go terribly wrong. And that's exactly what happened when Will's pegasus was shot down.


	5. Adducere Reportat Quod Nostra Fuit

****

Thanks to Scipio's quick reflexes, Will and his pegasus survived the fall. But just barely.

The black pegasus whinnied loudly as three arrows lodged into his left wing. He immediately listed to the left side, quickly losing altitude. Will was thrown off his back and fell into the clouds.

"Help him!" Nico yelled, panicked. Scipio didn't need to be told twice. He immediately swooped down and caught Will on his back, flapping his wings as hard as he could to catch up with his flying companion, who was still struggling to stay aloft.

Scipio nudged his head under the other pegasus' wing, supporting him as best as he could. With the added weight of the other pegasus and Will, who lay on Scipio's back frozen in shock, they quickly gained speed, plummeting into the trees below.

Nico could barely focus on the pain of branches scratching across his arms and face. One branch caught him near the eye and blacked out his vision for a moment, but it still wasn't the worst pain he'd been in. He was too worried about how the two pegasi were going to survive the violent crash to the ground that was about to happen any second now.

Except the violent, deadly crash never came. Instead, the tangled ball of teenage boy and pegasus crash-landed in a lake, which was much less life-threatening, albeit freezing cold. Thankfully the water was deep enough that they didn't slam into the rocks at the bottom. Unfortunately, deep water also meant having to swim to the surface, and Nico highly doubted Will knew how to swim at all.

Nico splashed frantically, trying to look through the murky water for any sign of the other boy. He spotted him about ten feet away, unmoving. He kicked his way over to Will as fast as he could, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up to the surface. The moment he could breathe again, Will began coughing up water.

"Oh, gods, are you okay?" Nico brushed strands of blonde hair out of Will's face. "Listen, kid, I didn't just almost kill a snake for you to drown on me now. Say something."

A short distance away, two soaking wet winged horses were splashing their way out of the lake with great difficulty. Scipio and his companion just barely made it back on to shore when the sound of another arrow being nocked into a bow was heard.

"Don't move," a man's voice threatened. "Or this time I'll aim closer to your heads."

Nico couldn't even be bothered to look up to see the source of the voice. He was too worried about Will, who still rested limply in his arms, staring dazed off into the distance in complete shock.

"Wait, don't shoot!" a girl called out from behind the man. "Stop!"

_That_ voice was a different story. That was a voice Nico would have recognized anywhere.

"Hazel?"

"Nico!" she grinned. "It _is_ you!"

"Wait, _Nico_?" the man lowered his bow.

Scipio and his companion whinnied loudly and frantically splashed around in the water, drenching everyone and effectively ruining the heartfelt reunion.

The man shook water out of his hair. "Is that Reyna's pegasus?"

"Oh, Gods," Hazel sprinted to the lakeside and waded out into the water "Hold on, Scipio, I'm coming."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after they'd managed to fish two soaking wet pegasi and a dazed teenage boy out of the river, Nico turned to face his sister for the first time in three years. They stared at each other silently, slowing taking in the sight of each other.

"Hey, big brother," Hazel whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Nico said, opening his arms wide for a hug.

Hazel choked back a sob as she buried her head into Nico's shoulder. He hugged her close, still finding it hard to believe that it was really her.

When he'd fled from Camp Jupiter, he thought he might never see her again. Yet here she was, older and taller than he'd remembered, but it was undeniably her. Her cinnamon-colored hair and face were smudged full of dirt and grass and water, but he didn't care.

Nico hadn't recognized the man with her before, but taking a better look at him, he realized it was no other than Frank Zhang. He was now nineteen years old and had long lost all of his baby fat in his face, which made him look drastically different. He too was covered in dirt with bits of twig and leaves in his hair, which could only mean they had been camping out here for a while.

He couldn't really criticize their looks, though. He was still dripping wet from his surprise swim and scratched all over from the fall. He couldn't tell what was water and what was blood. All three of them looked a mess.

"It's good to see you again," Frank said. His voice was deeper than Nico remembered.

Nico nodded in his direction. "Good to see you too, Frank."

Will started having another violent coughing fit, which effectively pulled their attention back to more important things.

"Oh, right," Nico said, pulling away from his sister. "Will, this is my sister Hazel Levesque and her boyfriend Frank Zhang. Hazel, Frank, this is Will Solace. He's the lost son of Apollo. Do you guys mind maybe letting us hide out here for a while?"

* * *

The group had talked for hours, catching up on life and the time they'd spent apart. Hazel had also updated them on their current situation. What they'd originally thought was a forest was actually a national park.

"Serra de Collserola Natural Park," she explained. "It's actually really popular with the people who live here. Lots of nature trails and shops and restaurants. But it's also secluded enough where the mortals don't notice us camping out here."

The four of them sat in a clearing surrounded by trees. Frank had lit a fire as the sun began to set. Nico sat next to Will wearing one of Frank's old tee shirts, which was still about three sizes too big, but he was grateful for it. Will had been offered dry clothes too, but he'd refused, pulling away from Hazel's touch and instead choosing to sit curled into the fetal position on the ground absentmindedly kissing the scars on his knuckles.

"Frank and I found it maybe a month ago," She continued. "We can have food and resources close to us without being out in the open where Camp Jupiter can find us."

Frank sheepishly rubbed his neck. "That's kind of why I shot you down. Sorry about that. We can never be too careful. I saw pegasi and thought it was Camp Jupiter and I panicked."

"Why Spain though?"

"We'd been trying to make it to Paris after hearing that Piper was staying there. Every once in a while we can get Iris messages to Camp and get updates. I talked to Percy not too long ago and he told us about her moving."

Will broke out of his daze, looking in Frank's direction at his mention of familiar names. He cocked his head to one side like a confused puppy and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

Hazel stared at Will with an extremely concerned expression on her face. "Is he okay?"

"I hope so," Nico said. "I'm guessing getting hypnotized and almost drowned within half an hour kind of jogged his brain a little. It's his first time out of the house, he's not used to these kind of things yet."

Now it was Hazel and Frank's turn to give Nico blank stares.

"Incident at the zoo. It's a long story," said Nico. "As for Camp Jupiter hunting you guys down, you won't have to worry much longer. If all goes according to plan, the Greek and Roman sides will be reunited soon and Reyna can take her place as praetor again."

"Where is Reyna, by the way?" Frank asked.

"Back at the park probably losing her mind wondering what's taking us so long," Nico admitted. "I need to get back there and bring her and the statue here before the Spanish police start questioning her and she starts threatening them with sharp objects. You could come back with us if you want."

Hazel shook her head. "I don't think we should risk it. Plus, I don't think Scipio and his friend should be carrying any more weight than necessary." She sat closest to the two pegasi, patting Scipio's muzzle.

"She'll be glad to see you two, though. You'll be the first people we've seen from Camp since she ran away, save from an unfortunate encounter with Octavian yesterday."

Saying that sentence out loud felt odd. Had it really only been a day?

"Wait," said Frank, "you're telling me you ran into Octavian and he didn't publicly execute you?"

"He tried, but we got away in time," Nico fished through his pockets, "and not without looting him first." He pulled a golden drachma from his pocket and tossed it in Hazel's direction. "Their army is definitely still chasing after us though."

"Is Camp Jupiter really that bad?" Will asked, finally speaking up.

"No, not at all," Frank said. "It's just that... well, years of rivalry has kind of put the two sides at conflict."

"Octavian tried to kill us. You almost killed us because you thought we were on their side," Will pointed out.

"He's really sorry about that," said Hazel, "and so am I. It's just that-"

"And Reyna and Nico both had to run away to keep themselves safe. And Piper is forced to live in seclusion. And your other friends can't even talk to you in public because they'll be putting themselves in danger." Will grit his teeth and held back tears. "This whole situation is awful."

Nico had the urge to take Will's hand the way Reyna sometimes did to comfort him, then he pushed the thought away as quickly as it came. Instead, he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The world is a really scary place sometimes," Nico said. "Trust me, I know better than anyone."

Will looked up at Nico and frowned. Instead of arguing like Nico thought he would, he completely changed the topic. "Your face is still bleeding." He used the edge of his sleeve to wipe away a drop of blood and kissed the side of Nico's face near his eye where a tree branch had scratched him earlier. The cut instantly closed up.

Nico pulled his hand away and coughed into his fist. "Um, thank you."

"You're welcome," Will shrugged and went back to tending his own wounds.

The expression on Nico's face must have been hilarious, since Hazel had to hold back laughter. Frank raised an eyebrow at him. Nico glared at the both of them.

" _As I was saying_ ," said Nico, "with a Greek and a Roman working together to get the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood, it should show both sides that we can work together and do good things, so this whole rivalry should be over soon."

Scipio trotted over to Nico, nudging his side and flapping his wings impatiently.

"Reyna must be calling for him. " Nico frowned. "I should go pick her up." He stood and mounted the pegasus. "If we're not back here in twenty minutes, well... watch out for him." Nico nodded towards Will, then pulled on Scipio's reigns. The pegasus took off, disappearing into the sky.

Hazel and Frank slowly turned to stare at Will, who still had his right hand rested against his mouth.

"Are you two going to ask me about my past too?" he asked hesitantly. "I feel like everybody wants to know who I am. I won't have many answers for you though."

"We know who you are," Hazel said. "Roman demigods grew up hearing your story the same way the Greeks did. We didn't even know Greek demigods existed until a few years ago, but we all knew about you. Apollo shares the same name in his Greek and Roman forms so only small details were changed depending on who was telling it."

Will nodded. He figured they'd already known. Nico had referred to him as Apollo's lost son without hesitation earlier and they seemed to understand perfectly clearly how important that was. There was one thing he was curious about that hadn't been brought up yet though. "In the stories about me, or about my dad, has anyone ever said anything about a prophecy?"

"Apollo is the god of prophecy," Frank said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And poetry and music and medicine and-"

"No, stop it," Will interrupted, "I mean, I know all of that, but you haven't heard anything specifically about me? _'Of gold from the Gods shall a hero rise. A unique gift, an immeasurable prize._ '?"

Hazel shook her head. "I'm not familiar with it. Do you know the rest of the lines?"

"No," Will lied. "Never mind, maybe it was just something I overheard as a kid. Don't worry about it."

So no one knew but him. That thought was both relieving and terrifying. A moment later, Nico reappeared from the shadows with Reyna and the statue. He stumbled over to his previous spot near the fire and sat down, burying his head between his knees. Reyna fished a bottle of nectar from her bag, uncapped it, and handed it to him. He pushed her away and shook his head.

"I'm fine, I just need to rest for a little while," Nico protested.

"That's what you said approximately two seconds before you passed out this morning," Reyna said. "I'm not going to have you fainting on me again, Nico."

Before he could protest, she tilted his chin back and poured a small stream of the gold-colored liquid in his mouth. He glared at her but swallowed gratefully.

"You need to be more careful," she said more softly. "Are you sure you'll be able to make the next big jump? I'm worried about you."

"Trust me, I'm worried about him too," Hazel said. Reyna hadn't noticed the other two demigods sitting behind her before, but now she abandoned all thought of Nico and raced over to greet her two old friends, hugging them so hard Will was sure they probably couldn't breathe.

Nico huffed. "So much for being worried about me."

Reyna didn't hear his sarcastic comment. She was too busy excitedly rambling. "Where have you two been all this time? How did you manage to avoid being seen? Why haven't you contacted us in the past three years?"

"You missed this whole conversation," Frank laughed. "We just spent the past few hours explaining everything to Nico and Will."

"Well I would have been here if _someon_ e," Reyna glared at Nico, "would have come back right away to get me."

"And I _would_ have come back earlier," Nico defended himself, "if Frank hadn't shot us out of the sky."

"Actually he just shot _me_ -" Will tried to interject but was cut off by Hazel.

"How about we stop putting blame on each other and agree that we're all wrong here?" she asked.

The whole group fell silent. Then Reyna shrugged and sat down near Hazel and Frank. "I'm cool with that if you are. So, storytime?"

"Well, you know how it started..." Hazel began.

Hazel and Frank delved into their story again for Reyna. Since Will had already heard it, he only barely paid attention. He found it much more interesting to study the scene around him.

On his right, Nico slowly sipped nectar from a bottle. The dark circles under his eyes seemed even more prominent in the firelight. Every once in a while he'd interrupt Hazel or Frank and add in details they forgot to mention the second time around, but other than that, he was quiet.

"Oh, right, that was _before_ the quest. Percy had recognized you, even through the amnesia."

Hazel and Frank sat close to each other, their arms and knees brushing against one another. They seemed so natural together, finishing each other's sentences and often speaking in unison. They had been through so much together and it showed. Their close bond was obvious just from watching them interact for a short while. Will couldn't help but be a little jealous. Exactly what he was jealous of, he couldn't be sure.

"... I wouldn't have survived out here without her. Sure, I can hunt and defend myself for a while, but without her finding the gold to pay for us traveling we would have never made it this far. Plus it would have been awfully lonely out here alone..."

Reyna, of course, was completely engrossed in the story. Her dark brown eyes were wide and curious. She probably didn't realize the way she would lean forward and sit up taller when things got particularly exciting or suspenseful. She never seemed to tire of adventure.

"You mean you took down twelve hellhounds on your own with nothing but a dagger? Wow, that's impressive even by Pluto kid standards..."

The stories slowly faded into silence as the night grew darker and eyelids grew heavier. The flames of the fire died down to embers and the park around them was nearly silent, save for the crickets chirping and the slow breathing of their friends sleeping. Even after it seemed like the five demigods had discussed everything there was to be talked about, there were other questions on Will's mind that were bothering him.

"Who is Percy Jackson?" Will asked Nico after everyone else was asleep.

Nico blinked at him twice. "What?"

"Who is Percy?" he repeated. "Piper mentioned that he was at Camp with Jason, and earlier Hazel brought him up and said that she'd been talking to him and that he recognized you when he had amnesia. I've asked you before and you said it was none of my business, but since all of your friends have talked about him, I'm assuming he's pretty important. Who is he?"

"No one," Nico mumbled. "He's another friend of ours. One of the seven of the prophecy like Hazel, Frank and Piper."

"That's all?"

"That's _all_." Nico repeated firmly.

Will knew he was lying, of course. It must have been a sensitive topic. Will knew exactly how that felt. He mentally debated with himself on whether or not he should bring up the prophecy, but when he opened his mouth to talk, no noise came out. He still didn't have the heart to tell them. Instead he combatted his conflicting thoughts with a different question.

"When was the first time you almost killed an endangered snake?" Yes, it was quite possibly the weirdest question he could have asked in that moment, but he was curious. And it was a good way to get his mind off of the more stressful topics. "Reyna said you did it again, so obviously today wasn't the first time," he rambled. "But when would you have possibly done something like that before?"

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Nico's mouth. "That is a really long story, actually."

"We have time," Will pointed out.

Nico sighed. "I guess we do. Well, it happened when I was fifteen, about six months after I left Camp Jupiter and a little while after I'd run into Reyna and started traveling with her. We were traveling through Italy and there was a man there who was illegally smuggling exotic animals across the borders..."

* * *

"Are you sure it was him?"

"I'm positive," the young girl stuttered. She was the same girl who'd spotted them in Rome. Last time, she'd slipped up. She hadn't given Octavian enough information. She had failed him. But this time she had more proof. "Nico di Angelo was riding Reyna's pegasus over Spain. He touched down in Serra de Collserola Natural Park and met up with fugitives Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang. The blonde boy was with him."

Octavian's face was stoic. He sat at a makeshift throne in the back of a large tent, one of many temporary camps they'd set up while hunting for their top priority fugitives across Europe. "And what makes you think he's who you say he is?"

"He demonstrated exceptional healing power," she explained. "He healed a wound on the di Angelo boy with just a touch. I also overheard Hazel Levesque tell him something about hearing his story at Camp. Plus he looks like the spitting image of a young Apollo. I'm almost positive this boy is his lost son."

Octavian considered this for a moment, then snapped his fingers twice. Three loyal members of the first cohort marched into the room. They obediently knelt before him and bowed their heads.

"Yes, Pontifex?" the tallest one asked.

"Call off your plans for bringing Reyna Ramirez-Arellano and Nico di Angelo back to Camp Jupiter for execution. Instead I want you to assemble a search party for the location and capture of their companion, Will Solace. Take him alive. I'd like a word with my infamous relative."


	6. Sanabant Laesus

Will had lost track of time. He couldn't sleep, so instead he decided to try to count how many hours had passed since Nico fell asleep last night recalling his infamous tale of how he'd managed to bust an entire ring of black market exotic animal smugglers trading throughout Europe. Sure, he may have accidentally injured a few of the animals along the way, which explains the recurring snake incident, but on the whole it was a good deed.

Nico had fallen asleep shortly after recalling his tale, which had left Will alone. He was stuck with his thoughts again, too afraid to wake anyone else. The morning sun rising slowly between the trees was one of the constant reminders that another day had passed and his eighteenth birthday was quickly approaching.

He tried his hardest to take his mind off by focusing on other things. The forest clearing was silent, save for the birds twittering and the sounds of his friends deep in their slumber. Nico occasionally muttered in his sleep, something Will couldn't quite understand about someone named Bianca and a quest. Reyna slept with her arms folded under her head, snoring lightly. Hazel had her head rested on Frank's shoulder.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. To think, this ragtag group of demigods had fought for their lives for years, facing battles Will could never think of enduring himself, defying all odds and living to tell the tale. Yet they still couldn't fight off exhaustion.

His moment of peace was cut short when a knife was held to his throat and his hands were forced behind his back.

"Stay still and stay quiet and we won't hurt you," a voice whispered in his ear.

A bead of sweat dripped down his temple. He tried to turn to see the faces of his assailants, but he'd barely moved an inch when his head was violently jerked back into place.

"She said stay still," a different, more gravelly sounding voice said, "Unless you want this knife pressed deeper into your neck."

"We aren't supposed to hurt him," a third voice lectured. "Pontifex Maximus said-"

The first man growled, angry and impatient. "I don't care what he said, if this kid gives me any trouble I'll slit his throat."

Will couldn't believe his friends couldn't hear what was happening. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the first person who spoke, a tall lanky girl, was swirling patterns in the air with her hand. _She's altering the Mist_ , he realized. Even if Reyna or Hazel or anyone did hear what was going on, if they looked up, they wouldn't see anything.

"Why can't we just take out di Angelo and Reyna right now? They're just laying there," the third voice asked.

"That's not part of the plan," the girl said. "And you don't disobey Octavian's plans."

More than anything, he wanted to kick or scream or do something to get their attention, but it was no use. Plus, he wouldn't want to put them in danger. They would be disoriented and unprepared. Nico was still recovering from his most recent shadow jump. Reyna, Frank, and Hazel's weapons lay scattered a few feet away from them. If anything, drawing attention to himself would only get them hurt.

He knew he didn't stand a chance if he tried to escape. He silently obeyed and didn't put up a fight as he was bound, gagged, and dragged away by three campers in purple Roman capes.

* * *

The moment Nico woke up he knew something was wrong. He barely had one eye open before he got an awful feeling in his stomach that told him today was not going to be a good day. When he'd noticed a complete absence of blonde hair in the forest clearing he panicked.

"Wake up!" he stood up as quickly as he could, tripping over his own feet. He shook Reyna and Hazel's shoulders a little too violently. "Guys, wake up!"

Hazel sat up, yawning and rubbing at her eyes. Reyna, as usual, refused to even lift her head. Frank, however, jolted out of his sleep, reaching for his weapons before realizing they were resting against a tree a few feet away.

"Wha's happening? Are we under attack?" Hazel asked. She noticed the frantic look on Nico's face, then glanced over to the spot where Will had been sitting the night before. "Oh no."

It was good to know that if they _were_ under attack at this hour in the morning, Reyna would be completely useless. She still say with her head buried in her arms. Nico shook her again. "Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, I swear to all of the gods on Olympus-"

She clamped a hand over his mouth, silencing him. She opened one eye and glared at him. "I thought I told you never to use my full name."

He soundlessly gestured behind him to the empty spot next to the campfire and Reyna hand fell slack. She swore under her breath.

"All of you fell asleep? No one thought to keep watch overnight?" Nico questioned the other three.

Reyna frowned at him. " _You_ were the last one awake, weren't you? It should have been your responsibility."

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. If anything, it was his fault, which only made him feel worse. Nico's hands balled into fists at his sides. Hazel stepped forward. "Nico, calm down."

"I'm perfectly calm," he forced out through gritted teeth.

"No you aren't," Hazel took his hand. "I know how you act when you panic over little things. Maybe he's just off exploring or getting food. We told him about all of the tourist attractions in the park, maybe he's in one of the shops."

"He wouldn't have left on his own."

"Nico, you've barely known this boy for three days, you don't know what he'd do," Hazel reassured him. She sat down, tugging his hand and pulling him with her. "He'll be okay. You can't jump to conclusions, you'll only stress yourself out more."

Slowly, Nico's expression relaxed, his free hand uncurled. Reyna was always impressed at how easily Hazel could help calm her brother down.

"I know, I know. It's just that..." he sighed, "I'm worried about the kid, alright? He barely knows how to survive out in the real world. He's oblivious to danger and he's probably somewhere confused and scared and it's our fault we weren't keeping better track of him."

Hazel and Reyna exchanged a look. Hazel raised an eyebrow and Reyna smirked.

"What?" Nico asked.

"Nothing," Reyna said, acting completely innocent.

"He'll be okay," Hazel repeated to him. "Don't worry about it."

Nico looked up at Reyna, who still had a smug look on her face. Suddenly it clicked in his head. "Look, if you're suggesting-"

"I'm not suggesting anything," Reyna insisted.

"It's not like that."

"I never said it was."

"But you're smiling."

"I could be smiling about anything."

"Am I the only one who is confused here? What's going on?" Frank asked.

"Nothing," Hazel said. She seemed distracted by something behind Nico, but when he turned around, he didn't see anything.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head and stood silently. She took slow, cautious steps towards Will's spot next to the campfire and stared.

"Hazel, what's wrong?" he repeated.

"Something just... seems off about this," she said. If Nico focused hard enough and squinted a little, he could see what she was talking about. The air around them seemed to shimmer slightly, but it was just barely noticeable. With a wave of her hand she dispelled the Mist and the entire scene changed. Will's backpack lay on the ground where he sat the night before, which was odd since he wouldn't have just left it there if he went off exploring. That's when they noticed the footprints.

Four sets of footprints led off into the trees. Three shoe prints, and one set that looked like it was dragged off. Hazel and Reyna both gasped. Frank nocked an arrow in his bow and turned, aiming at the trees behind him, afraid he might be the next victim.

"Now can I panic?" Nico asked.

* * *

It took Nico, Hazel and Frank exactly twelve minutes to find their first lead on where Will was taken.

Reyna had volunteered to stay and keep guard over the Athena Parthenos while the others ventured into the shops and restaurants in Serra de Collserola park. At first, they'd mostly just encountered tourists who'd cower in fear at the sight of three disheveled teenagers with threatening-looking weapons. It was safe to assume the mortals could see Hazel's spatha and Nico's stygian iron sword for what they really were, since no one dared to come within ten feet of them. The two of them couldn't have looked very threatening, considering Nico was barely five and a half feet tall and Hazel was even shorter. But with Frank standing at six foot three behind them and carrying his bow in hand, they managed to look intimidating enough to scare some information out of people.

They'd all come to the same conclusion: that one of two people could be behind Will's disappearance, Gaea or Camp Jupiter. There was no arguing that their best bet would be to scope out the area and try to force information out of any camper they could get their hands on. Walking through the paths of the park, they saw plenty of Romans from Camp, but none of them were ideal for interrogating. They were all in large groups or armed. They needed someone who was alone and vulnerable who'd be willing to give up information.

And that's when they spotted the dark-haired man guzzling his weight in drinks at the bar through a restaurant window.

Nico vaguely remembered Dakota as the Kool-Aid addict from the Fifth Cohort back at Camp Jupiter. As a child of Bacchus, he'd been drinking it almost constantly to replace the craving of wine that had been passed down to him by his father. But now that he was 21 and the drinking age laws in Europe were much less strict than in America, he highly doubted his glass was still filled with fruit juice.

A greeter at the front of the restaurant asked what Nico could only guess meant "Table for three?" in Spanish, but Frank and Nico rushed right past her and headed into the back towards the bar. Hazel paused in front of the host's podium, awkwardly nodded and muttered "Sorry," under her breath before chasing after her brother and her boyfriend.

Before Dakota could even blink, Nico and Frank had taken up the two empty seats next to him and blocked his way out, should he try to escape. In his drunken stupor, it took him more than a few seconds to realize what had happened, but when he recognized Frank, he choked on his drink.

"Frank Zhang?" his words slurred slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Dakota," Frank said. "Shouldn't you be in California right now?"

The bartender slid a drink menu toward Frank and he speared it with an arrow without a second glance. Dakota stared at the quiver full of sharp arrows on Frank's back and gulped.

"Listen Dakota," Frank began, "we know Camp Jupiter is here, and we have a feeling that they've stolen something really important to us. Now, you could tell us where it might be-"

"Or I could summon a few dead souls and see if you'll be willing to tell _them_ ," Nico finished. "And I don't think you want me to do that."

"No, that's okay," said Dakota. "I'll tell you."

Frank glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Nico. He hadn't expected it to be that easy. Nico simply shrugged.

"I'm only here because Octavian ordered search parties all over the place to look for you guys," Dakota explained. "To be totally honest, I only came so he wouldn't punish me like he did Gwen and Bobby and the others who refused to take his orders. I'm not on his side. He called off the search for Nico and Reyna some time last night and made your friend his top priority."

"So he _does_ have Will," Hazel said. "Where is he keeping him?"

Dakota shook his head. "I don't know. He's been setting up temporary camps everywhere. He could have taken him to any one of them."

"Did he have a more permanent place he was staying?" Hazel asked.

"Maybe," he slurred. "I think I heard him say something about Madrid and a temple once. I don't know exactly where, though. He only tells his top lieutenants that kind of stuff."

"Madrid. The capitol city of Spain that's more than five hundred miles away and has a population of more than three million. Fantastic," Nico deadpanned. "Let's just check every temple in the city and rescue Will. Shouldn't be hard at all."

"There's a temple dedicated to Augustus in Madrid," Hazel pointed out. "Augustus was originally named Gaius Octavias. That's where Octavian's name comes from. It's a long shot, but maybe it's a possibility?"

"Hiding out in a temple built for his namesake. That's extremely narcissistic. Sounds exactly like something Octavian would do," Nico said.

"Glad I could be of assistance. Now if you'll excuse me..." Dakota downed the rest of the drink in the glass in front of him and slammed it down on the counter. The bartender immediately rushed over and refilled it.

Hazel, Frank, and Nico exchanged concerned glances. Nico nodded his head toward the door, hoping the other two would get the message and leave. Dakota's alcoholism was probably something that should be addressed, but it was a problem for another day. Thankfully, Frank and Hazel had the same idea. Frank removed the arrow he'd lodged into the bar earlier and the three of them strolled out of the restaurant as casually as possible. Hazel apologized to the host at the front again as they left.

"So what now?" Frank asked as they walked the path back towards the woods.

"Now," said Nico. "We tell Reyna to get ready for a detour to Madrid."

* * *

Will didn't know where he was. He was blindfolded and gagged and the ties around his wrists were seriously starting to hurt. His attackers led him into what he guessed was a large room, judging by how their footsteps echoed. A dark laugh came from somewhere in front of him.

"Excellent," the voice sent a shiver down his spine. Octavian. "How hard was it to get him?"

"Not hard at all," the mist-altering girl from earlier spoke. "He was an obedient little victim."

"Leave him here," Octavian commanded her. "I'd like a word with him alone."

The three campers left, their footprints' echoes fading as they walked further through the hall. Will would have much preferred the knife-happy kidnapper to stay in the room than to be alone with Octavian. He'd heard nothing but bad things about Camp Jupiter's former augur. Like how he'd been suspected in spearing and nearly killing a girl over a war game. Hazel had mentioned something about the Doors of Death being open and allowing her to return to life, which Will didn't really understand. He was far too busy scolding himself for being stupid enough to try to face Octavian alone back at the tavern. And now they met face to face again.

"Will Solace, the legend himself," Will could hear Octavian walking towards him. His blindfold was violently ripped off and he found himself mere inches away from blue eyes and blonde hair that reminded him so much of himself. But Octavian had a ghastly look to him. His eyes were more dull and grey looking. His hair was as pale as straw and hung loosely in his face. His skin was so pale, as if he'd never seen the sun in his life. The most unsetting part about him was his sharp, upturned features that made him look like he was constantly plotting some evil scheme.

"After all these years. I would have thought you were dead by now," he mused. "Or at least you would have been strong enough to escape, or better yet, overpower Gaea's forces. Yet here you are, in _my_ control. And to think Apollo deemed you worthy of his blessing."

Octavian laughed humorlessly. He walked in circles around Will, examining him. Will tried his hardest to act brave, but he couldn't help trembling at the very mention of his father. Apollo's blessing, his healing gift - which he'd originally thought was Gaea's doing until he learned the truth about his past - was supposed to be a secret. But of course, Octavian had his ways of knowing about it.

"I guess you're not as powerful as the legends say you are. Or maybe _I'm_ just stronger than everyone realized. Now, what to do with you?"

He paused in front of Will and traced a hand down the side of his face, parroting a gesture Gaea used to give him. Will was tempted to bite him or spit in his face but he knew that it'd only anger him more, and he didn't want to find out what other horrors Octavian was capable of when he got angry. Instead, he sat still as Octavian removed the gag from his mouth.

"Of course I could return you to the Gods and be honored and heavily rewarded for bringing back Apollo's favorite child. But I think it would be more fun to take you apart one by one and find out what makes you so special. We already know about the healing. Judging by your voice and the power of your hymn, you're also exceptionally talented with music. What about archery? Poetry? Maybe you have the gift of prophecy. I know many people who would pay a hefty price for their own personal oracle, especially one as special as you."

"Wouldn't you rather offer up your gift?" Will asked. He'd been told enough background on Octavian from the others to blackmail him effectively. "After all, you _do_ have the gift of prophecy, don't you? Apollo blessed you like he did me. Or was that all a lie to get people to follow you?"

Octavian's hand reached back up and slapped him hard across the face. He vision blurred and he could taste blood in his mouth from accidentally biting down on his tongue. He could already feel that there'd be a huge red mark on his face later.

"Look like your hands are tied. You can't heal that now, can you?" Octavian growled. "Now as I was saying, I _would_ offer my services up to anyone who needed them, but I'd much rather let you do the work. After all, they'd pay much more for the famous son of Apollo. You have a heavy bounty over your head and I could use a few thousand extra golden drachmas."

Will feigned confidence as best as he could, grinning widely. "That's just like you, Octavian. Having other people do your dirty work. Too much of a coward to do anything for yourself."

For a moment he was afraid he would get slapped again, but instead, Octavian raised his left hand and snapped twice. "Claire!" he called out.

Not even five seconds later, the mist-manipulator from earlier stepped into the room. She must have been outside listening to this whole conversation. She knelt before Octavian and bowed her head to him.

"Yes, Pontifex?" she asked.

"Stay here with him," Octavian ordered. "Get any information you can out of him."

She nodded furiously. "Will do, Pontifex."

Octavian turned on his heel and headed towards the door. Before leaving, he turned over his shoulder. "Oh, Claire?"

"Yes?"

"Good work tracking him down. I'll be sure to put in a good note for you."

She nodded again. "Thank you, Octavian." Will could have sworn he saw the slightest blush on her cheeks at the compliment, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. As Will got a better look at her, he realized it was the same young girl he'd seen giving Octavian an offering at the tavern. The same girl who first gave Octavian information about Nico and Reyna's whereabouts.

"So I see you got a promotion." Will blurted out.

Claire turned and glared at him. She knelt down to his height. "You know, for a famous kid I grew up hearing about, you don't seem that impressive."

"Neither does Octavian, but you still like him," Will said. "That's why you obey him so easily. You've got a little crush on your Pontifex Maximus, is that it? You know he's too old for you, right?"

He'd guessed correctly. This time the blush was definitely there, her cheeks growing bright red. Her amber-colored eyes flashed with anger. "Shut up," she sneered. "I'm here to ask you the questions, not the other way around."

"Ask away, then," Will leaned back on his cuffed hands. "As you can see, I'm not going anywhere."

Will's nonchalance surprised him until he realized it was only because Claire seemed to be as terrified and clueless as he was. They were both new at this. Only Will could feign confidence much better than she could, which gave him an advantage.

Claire sat cross-legged in front of him. "I'm going to ask a few simple questions to start. What is your name?"

"Will," he said.

"Your _full_ name," Claire clarified.

"William Everett Solace."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Your birthday?"

"June twenty-first. But you know all of this already," Will said.

Claire glared at him. "That's not the point. I'm trying to test to see if you'd lie to me. Do you have any special abilities?"

"My healing powers," said Will. "You know, my unique gift that Octavian intends to exploit for money. I thought you had eavesdropped on his whole rousing speech about prostituting me for my power."

Claire ignored his sarcasm and continued questioning him. "Do you have the gift of prophecy?"

"No."

"What about talent in archery?"

"Not that I know of, no," Will tried to sound as bored as possible, which wasn't hard.

"Poetry? Music? Art?"

"No, no, and no."

"Do you have any other talents?"

"I'm great at holding conversation," Will smiled.

Claire groaned and rubbed her temples. As Will got a better look at her, he realized she could have been very pretty were it not for the constant scowl on her face. She had long hair tied back in a high ponytail, almost the same amber-brown color as her eyes. Her skin was mahogany colored, whether naturally or from her summer tan he couldn't be sure. And as he'd noticed before, she was young, at least two years younger than he was. And Octavian was taking advantage of her because she listened to every word he said and obeyed his every command.

It reminded him of how Gaea used to treat him. How he'd listen to her without a second thought and let his admiration and love get the best of him. How he thought listening to his 'grandmother' was what he was supposed to do, because she was in charge and she knew best.

Suddenly he felt sorry for her, because in a way, she was just like him. Except she didn't have a chance to escape.

* * *

The worst part of this whole thing wasn't the fact that they had to charge straight into Camp Jupiter territory. The worst part wasn't having to scour the area trying to find the building where Octavian was holding Will hostage. No, the worst part was that they couldn't just shadow jump there.

Reyna had chastised him earlier for even thinking about it. "There's no way in Hades' name that I'm going to let you try a 380 mile jump after you could barely travel five miles without getting dizzy. You'd never make it. Not in the state you're in right now."

Which was why he now stubbornly sat behind her on Scipio's back as they flew at sixty-five miles per hour - compared to shadow travel, it was agonizingly slow - toward Spain's capital city. At this rate the ride there would take more than five hours.

Hazel and Frank had promised to keep the Athena Parthenos safe back at the national park, but Nico still couldn't help but worry. What if Camp Jupiter tried to come back for the statue? What if they overpowered their friends? And worse, what if they'd already hurt Will? Then this whole side quest would be for nothing and they'd lose everything. He tried to shake off the negative thoughts but they kept pressing into the back of his mind. As if they were reminding him, _Hey, everything in your life is bound to go horribly wrong at some point, why not let it happen today and get the pain over with before you get too attached?_

"Stop that, it'll be alright," Reyna said, as if she could read his mind. "Hazel and Frank are two of the strongest demigods we know, they'll protect the statue."

"And what about us?" Nico asked.

Reyna frowned. "Well, we've survived worse."

"But what about..." Nico didn't have to finish his sentence.

"He'll be okay too," Reyna said, though she sounded like she didn't believe herself. She hesitated before asking her next question. "Are you sure it's not like that? With you and him?"

Nico knew exactly what she meant. "I'm sure," he said. Technically he wasn't lying. He _hadn't_ ever thought about Will in that way. He'd only barely met the kid. It was a ridiculous thought to even have. Besides, he had enough going on in his life right now. He didn't need to be distracted by pointless things like that.

_But in the short time you've known him he's proven himself to be both brave and caring. That's definitely something worth noticing,_ the little voice in the back of his head said.

_Shut up,_ he told it.

_And he cares enough to try to get you to open up about your past. The only people who have ever done that are Hazel and Reyna, and they care an awful lot about you,_ it pestered him. _He must care about you too..._

_I said shut up._

_He kissed you at the campfire last night,_ it reminded him.

Nico must have gotten so frustrated he groaned out loud, because Reyna cast a worried glance over her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Nico grumbled. "Just keep flying."

Nico had a feeling this would be the longest five hours of his life.


	7. Fates Tentabis

The first thing they noticed when touching down in Madrid was the architecture. The buildings and bridges and streets had so much Romanesque influence, it felt like they'd never even left Rome after making their getaway with the Athena Parthenos.

Reyna was probably more impressed than she should have been by all of the buildings and statues. She kept staring and pointing and rambling about the difference between Tuscan and Composite columns. All Nico could think about was how much harder it was going to be to find Augustus' temple among all of the thousands of similar-looking buildings.

Nico dismounted from Scipio's back first, grateful to be back on solid ground. Flying made him anxious, and a five-hour flight on horseback with nothing but is negative thoughts to keep him company was quite possibly the worst way to travel.

Reyna hopped to the ground and scratched Scipio behind the ears. "We're going to be a while, buddy. Why don't you go find somewhere to stay where you won't draw too much attention to yourself? I'll whistle for you if I need you."

Scipio whinnied in protest, but Reyna shook her head. "I know, but you can't come with. We'll be okay, it'll only take a couple of hours, I promise."

Nico stared blankly at the pair. He highly doubted the pegasus could actually understand a word of what Reyna was saying, but he decided not to question it. He'd seen her do stranger things before.

She gave Scipio one last scratch behind the ears, then he took off and disappeared into the sky.

"So," Reyna began. "Where to first?"

"First," Nico said, "we need some kind of transportation."

Twenty minutes later he immensely regretted that suggestion.

"You know, this isn't exactly the kind of transportation I had in mind," Nico said, having extreme difficulty keeping his feet on the pedals of his rental bike.

Meanwhile, Reyna was riding in circles around him, trying her hardest not to laugh.

"I cannot believe you never learned how to ride a bike," she said. "I mean, really Nico? What sixteen-year-old doesn't know how to ride a bike?"

They had just paid for a six-hour rental at a small kiosk a little ways away from a large plaza. There were roads branching off in all directions and men in bright yellow and orange tee-shirts leading groups of bikers on guided tours. Reyna and Nico had opted for the free-roaming package, which allowed them to take the bikes anywhere within the city without a tour guide as long as they were returned on time. At this rate, they'd have difficulty getting more than ten feet away without Nico losing his balance and falling over.

"This isn't as easy as it looks," he muttered. "It's not my fault the gods made me spend majority of my childhood running and fearing for my life. I didn't exactly have time to learn how to work one of these things."

The girl working the bike rentals walked over to Reyna and handed her a ticket slip and maps of the city. She gestured to Nico and asked Reyna something he couldn't understand, probably something along the lines of _"Are you sure he isn't going to kill himself on that thing?"_ Reyna nodded in response and pedaled over to Nico.

"You two better not have been talking about me," he said.

"Oh, we were," said Reyna sarcastically. "We were just discussing how ridiculously tourist-y you look. I should have told her about your zebra hat. What happened to that by the way?"

Nico hadn't even given it a second thought. It must have fallen off into the trees or sank somewhere in the water after he had to rescue Will and his pegasus from certain death. And now Will was in trouble again.

"It doesn't matter," he snapped. "We're wasting time, let's go."

"Hey," Reyna said, reaching over and taking Nico's hand, her tone suddenly much softer. "I'm sorry, alright? Look, I have the maps right here." She opened one up and spread it out in front of them, pointing at locations. "We'll check here and here, then head North into the more isolated parts of town. We'll find him. It'll be okay."

"I hope you're right," Nico whispered.

* * *

Claire had given up asking questions six hours into her interrogation when Will had started giving her the silent treatment. She'd threatened him countless times, but her words no longer seemed to faze him. He wasn't stupid. He knew she wouldn't do anything unless Octavian told her to, and he hadn't spoken to either of them since they'd first kidnapped Will.

Instead, she had begun pacing around the room, trying to figure out some other way to get some information out of him. She had to get this job done, lest she risk making Octavian angry. She'd seen what he does to the people who disappoint him, and she didn't want to become one of them.

Will, on the other hand, was completely content with staying silent. Sure, his legs were nearly numb from sitting in the same position on the floor for so long and he was slowly growing irritated of the sound of Claire's pacing around the room, but he had no doubt that by now his friends would be coming to rescue him any minute now.

Or maybe that was just the hope talking.

Maybe no one was coming and he'd be a prisoner again after his few days of freedom. Maybe Octavian would sell him out to some kind of Underworld demon or minor god seeking revenge and use him as a weapon.

The constant _click, click, click_ of Claire's boots was so distracting he couldn't even concentrate on imagining his possible future imprisonment.

"Aren't you tired of standing?" Will broke the silence. Really, he just wanted the clicking to stop. Thankfully his plan worked.

She stopped in her tracks. "A little," she admitted.

Will gestured to the spot next to him as well as he could with both hands tied behind his back. "Sit down."

She looked him over suspiciously, but then shrugged and sat on the ground next to him with her legs crossed.

"So..." Will began, but Claire cut him off.

"If you think I'm okay with this, I'm not," she said. "I'm actually tired and very bored and very, very annoyed with you right now. But I have nothing better to do right now since you won't tell me anything."

Will shrugged. "Fair enough. Since you're bored, how about I ask you something instead?"

"Or how about you shut up and just cooperate so we can be done here?"

"What's your last name?" he ignored her.

"Hathaway. Claire Christine Hathaway," she said. "Why do you care?"

"I'm just curious. And you don't seem to be having much fun creating your own little rut in the ground by walking back and forth, so let's talk," he said. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," she muttered. "I know, I'm young and stupid and involving myself with all the wrong people, I don't need to hear it."

"I wasn't going to say that," Will said. "So have you always worked under Octavian? Ever since you first went to Camp Jupiter?"

She wasn't quite sure why she was even answering his questions, but it was the first conversation she'd had in months that didn't involve torture tactics, war strategy, or how much they hated the Greeks. Her comrades weren't the most interesting people. She was grateful for a change in topic for once. "I was twelve when I got there," she said. "It was a couple months before Reyna left and Octavian took over. Once she was gone, he was the leader. We all obeyed mostly because we actually thought he was doing the right thing but..." She sighed.

"But what?" Will asked.

"But now a lot of people are disagreeing with his ways. More people are changing sides and rebelling against him. I can't say I blame them. There are some people who are brave enough to stand up against him and leave. And the rest of us, well, the rest of us are still here, doing things like this."

The door opened with a crash. Octavian stood in the doorway, glaring down at Claire. She immediately jumped away from Will and dropped to one knee, bowing to Octavian.

"Stop that," Octavian snapped. "What is going on in here? Were you doing what I told you to do?" he questioned her.

"Of course," she replied obediently. "I was interrogating him as you asked."

"Get up!" he ordered her. She slowly stood, refusing to look him in the eye. "Why are you lying to me, Claire?"

A bead of sweat dripped down her temple. She trembled slightly as she took a shaky breath. "I _was_ interrogating him, it's just that-"

He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and yanked her forward. "I don't like being lied to," he hissed.

"I'm sorry, Pontifex Maximus, it won't happen again," she whimpered.

"It better not," Octavian shoved her away and turned toward the exit. "Make yourself more useful and go on guard duty at the south doors. I'll get someone else to take care of this." With that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Silence fell over them, only interrupted by Claire's occasional cough. She reached and touched the red mark showing up on her neck.

"Now do you want to tell me how stupid I am for staying here?" she said, her voice scratchy.

"Why would I call you stupid? You don't have a choice on whether or not you have to deal with his abuse," Will said. "That's pretty much been my entire life up until now, remember?"

Claire slowly turned and stared at him, as if she were just realizing something. "Gaea. Of course," she said. "I'm sorry, I never even thought about it that way. This whole war is going on between her and the gods and you're right at the center of it."

Will nodded. "And I know what it's like to be trapped somewhere with no way out. I lived that way for seventeen years. I hate to see you doing the same thing."

She didn't reply. Instead, she unsheathed the dagger at her hip and cut the ties around Will's hands.

"Keep your hands behind your back and pretend they're still tied up," she said. "Play along with whoever takes over for me. Stall as long as you can. I'm going to look for a way to get you out of here."

* * *

She counted the seconds ticking by in her head. Exactly twelve minutes after Octavian left, the two male campers who had accompanied her earlier on the mission to kidnap Will walked in the room.

Like most of the guys at Camp Jupiter, these two were nothing special; just two angry and tough-looking thugs who obeyed commands without a second thought and got sick pleasure from hurting people. She hadn't even bothered to learn their names before.

Claire glanced over at Will, who kept his hands hidden behind his back. He looked up and slowly nodded at her, as if to say 'Everything's okay,' even though she knew it wasn't. The taller one firmly held a knife in his hand, the same one he'd threatened Will with that morning, and she had a good feeling the other had a weapon hidden somewhere too. She hated to leave Will alone with them, but she had no other choice. It was his only chance of escaping.

"You've been relieved of your duties, _miss_ ," the taller one taunted her. "You're needed elsewhere. Guard duty, south doors."

"I know," she said. "Unlike you, I don't need to hear things repeated to me twelve times before I understand them."

He lunged forward, but the shorter boy held him back. "Stop it, both of you," he said. "Claire, I know Caleb's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed-"

"Shut it, Noah," the taller one - Caleb - growled.

"But there's no need to be rude about it," Noah finished, ignoring him. "All of us need to do what we're told, because you don't want Octavian to come back here and see that you're disobeying him again. He won't be so lenient about it next time."

Not only was she about to disobey Octavian, but she was about to completely betray him and all of Camp Jupiter by attempting to set their highest priority prisoner free.

No doubt she'd face much worse than Octavian's regular punishments if she was caught. But she played along, gulping loudly for effect, and began walking out of the room. As she reached the door, she turned around one last time. "Do your jobs right and I'll do mine. You've been ordered not to kill him."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him, promise," Caleb said, tauntingly waving his knife in Will's face. Will stayed stoic and unblinking.

With that, she turned and exited, shutting the door behind her. She tried to shake off the fear, both for her own life and for Will's. Being afraid wasn't going to help anyone.

She glanced down the long corridors to either side of her. The halls were mostly deserted, save for two campers on the far right coming in through the west doors. They were more than likely changing shifts like Claire was. Being hidden inside a huge abandoned mansion, Octavian had assigned guards at every possible entrance as a precaution. He could be warned of anyone entering through any of the six different doorways.

As she walked down the hallway, she internally laughed at Octavian's arrogance. Even when he was illegally holding teenagers hostage and running a dictatorship-like rule over a group of underage demigods, he still managed to be picky about his living quarters. He'd scoped out the mansion months ago and eventually made it into his own personal castle. From the outside, it looked completely vacant, but inside it was almost as if no time had passed since it was originally built. The floors were covered in plush carpet and there was even an air conditioning system installed, though she had no idea how he managed to get away with that. Even the room Will was being held in used to be a private chapel. The pews had been removed, leaving the floors bare, but during the day the sun shone through the elaborate stained glass windows. It wasn't exactly a prison cell.

Claire walked down the stairs and across the building, finally reaching the south doors. A tired-looking boy stood slumped against the wall, falling asleep. Claire cleared her throat loudly, catching his attention. He panicked and snapped into a salute before realizing it was just her, then he relaxed and rolled his eyes.

"You've been relieved of your duties," Claire told him.

"I wasn't asleep," he said stupidly.

"Uh-huh. And next time you're 'not asleep' the person who catches you won't be so nice about it. But you owe me."

He nodded and left, making a left at the end of the hall and disappearing out of sight. Claire was alone, and would be for at least three hours. The sun was setting, shrouding the entire estate in darkness. It was perfect.

She double-checked that her dagger was still strapped to her hip, then she opened the door, closing it silently behind her as she set out into the night with a clear goal in mind: to find Will's companions and return him to them.

* * *

Nico was slowly but surely losing what small amount of patience he had left. His feet hurt from pedaling for hours. They'd searched all over the city at every temple and church and building that had any remote chance of being Octavian's hiding place. At three locations, Reyna had actually gotten so distracted by the urge to go an explore the ancient buildings Nico was tempted to leave her behind and continue the mission on his own. He was hot and tired and hungry and, worst of all, they were no closer to finding Will than they'd been that morning. He didn't think the day could be going worse, but after he crashed into a horse on his bike, he was proven wrong.

He'd noticed the girl on horseback a fraction of a second before the collision happened and slammed on the brakes trying to stop himself, but he was too late. He was thrown from the bike and landed hard on the ground.

"Sorry about that-" he began, but when his eyes focused, he noticed that it wasn't any horse. It was Scipio, with a stranger riding on his back. Nico unsheathed his sword and jabbed it in the girl's direction, but she pulled of Scipio's reins and he backed out of the way.

"I know this looks bad," the girl said, "but I can explain."

"Nico stop," Reyna pedaled up next to him and dismounted her bike. She glanced up at the stranger, taking her in. A hint of recognition showed through the confusion on her face.

"Praetor Reyna," the girl bowed her head. "I don't know if you remember me, but-"

"Claire Hathaway," Reyna nodded to her. "Pleasure to see you alive."

Claire smiled. "You as well. Now, if you'd let me explain myself, I'd be extremely grateful."

"I'd be glad to hear it," Reyna said.

Claire dismounted Scipio and handed the reins to Reyna. Nico looked back and forth between the girls. "Wait, what's going on here? She stole your pegasus and now you're just going to have casual conversation with her?"

"Scipio here is a real fighter," Claire ignored him. "I saw him out in the middle of Plaza Mayor harassing tourists and was confused before I recognized him as yours and thought I'd find you nearby. Thinking back on it, I probably should have realized that was too easy. He recognized the Camp robes and nearly ran me over before I managed to calm him down. I had to use the Mist to disorient him a bit, but he'll be fine, promise."

"You were one of the most talented campers in the third cohort," Reyna remembered. "Your Mist-manipulating strategies during war games helped your cohort beat first _twice_ in one month, which is pretty much unheard of-"

"She's from Camp Jupiter?" Nico asked. "And you're trusting her _why_?"

"The only people who still call me Praetor are people who have strayed from Octavian's rule," Reyna said. "He made them swear allegiance to him. Plus, I remember Claire. You were the one that stole all of his stuffed animals and tied them to the flagpoles that one time, weren't you? That was hilarious! I don't think I've ever seen his face so red."

"Oh, that was nothing," Claire said, her face flushing at the compliment.

Nico groaned and rubbed at his temple. "You know, I'd love to keep reminiscing on your old Camp Jupiter days, but we have a bigger problem here."

"Right," Claire said, finally acknowledging Nico. "Your friend, Will Solace-"

Nico's eyes widened. "You know where he is?"

Claire nodded. "And I know how to get him out. It won't be easy though. He's kind of locked up in a room on the highest floor of a heavily guarded secluded building."

"Ironic," Reyna muttered.

"We can handle it," Nico said. "We've made it through worse."

"You do realize you're now the top two people on Octavian's hit list and if we get caught we're all dead, right?" Claire pointed out.

"We have to try at least."

"Nico's right," Reyna said. "It's our fault Octavian even had a chance to find him. It's only right that we get him back. Plus, Nico would hate it if we-"

"Let's just go," Nico glared at her. "Before it's too late."

Reyna handed Scipio's reins back to Claire and hopped back onto her bike. "Lead the way, miss Hathaway."

* * *

Half an hour later, the three demigods approached the mansion's south doors. The huge building hauntingly loomed over them in the darkness.

"So," Nico whispered, "Will is somewhere inside there."

"Yep." Claire said.

"Among at least 50, if not more, armed and powerful demigods."

"Yep."

"And a homicidal tyrant who's been after my blood for three years."

"Uh-huh."

"Alright. This should be fun," he gulped.

Luckily, no one had noticed Claire's absence in the short time she'd been gone. The south doors still stood unlocked and unguarded. Claire approached the door and turned the handle. It swung silently into a completely dark hallway.

She gestured for Nico and Reyna to follow close behind, then walked inside. She pulled out her dagger and the celestial bronze glowed slightly, illuminating the way.

"There's three staircases we have to take to the top floor," she whispered. "When I left it was pretty abandoned and shift changes usually happen every two hours so we should be fine until-" Claire tripped over something and swore loudly as she hit the ground. "What the... oh."

The same boy who she'd caught asleep on the job earlier now stared wide-eyed at her. The dots seemed to connect slowly in his head as he took in the sight of Reyna and Nico.

"They're... and you're..." he stammered.

"You owe me," Claire blurted out. "Not a word of this to anyone, got it?"

He glanced down at the dagger in her hand and nodded quickly. "Got it."

Reyna watched the boy's back as he fled the scene, nervously glancing behind him, probably afraid that Claire would put her dagger to good use at any second. "So much for the place being deserted."

"He was the least of our worries," Claire groaned. "We'll have worse company waiting for us upstairs. Come on."

Reyna and Nico shared a concerned glance, but followed Claire upstairs silently. They scaled the three staircases to the top floor and walked down a seemingly endless hallway before Claire stopped abruptly.

"He's in there," she said, pointing to a set a double-doors about ten feet down the hall. "But I have to warn you, there are two guys in there that aren't exactly the friendliest people. One's a sarcastic asshole and the other is a knife-happy masochist."

"Should be fun, then," Nico said sarcastically. "So what's the plan? We can't just charge in there, grab Will and go. We need some kind of strategy. I say, if there's two guys, two of us take on whoever's tougher. We knock them out, get Will and make a run for it before anyone notices what's wrong."

"You forgot the part where you're all publicly executed for treason."

They all froze. A bead of sweat trickled down Claire's back. Reyna's hand flew to her side and she tightly gripped the handle of her Imperial gold gladius.

Nico, however, completely ignored his weapons and charged at Octavian, grabbing the taller boy by the neck and slamming him against the doors before anyone could register what was happening. The doors flew open and Octavian fell to his back with Nico on top of him.

Will sat in the corner of the room, Caleb taunting him with a knife at his throat. "Nico!" he yelped.

Caleb and Noah jumped away from Will. Caleb brandished his knife in front of him while Noah stepped back, trying to avoid an unfair fight considering he didn't have a weapon.

"Guess we're abandoning that whole 'plan' thing," Reyna rolled her eyes, then charged into the fight side-by-side with Claire. It should have been an easy fight, two small girls against one tough guy, but Claire and Reyna gave him a run for his money.

Meanwhile, Nico and Octavian were grappling with one another, and despite his height and weight disadvantage, Nico seemed to actually be winning. He managed to push Octavian against the wall, one hand restraining his wrists and the other holding his sword to Octavian's neck.

"How did you know where we were, you little rat?" Nico growled. "How did you find him?"

"Oh," Claire said, still sparring with Caleb, "that was kind of my fault. I kind of saw you and ratted you out. Didn't know you'd turn out to be the good guys."

"WHAT?"

"I made up for it though, right?"

Nico let himself get distracted for a second too long. Octavian freed his hand and grabbed something from his belt. Nico yelled out in pain. His sword fell to the ground and clattered loudly as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his shoulder. Octavian stood over him triumphant, clutching a knife in his hand.

"NO!" Will cried out.

Will grabbed Nico's sword and dashed at Octavian, his only thought being that he wanted to inflict as much pain as possible, but Claire beat him there. She tackled Octavian to the ground - an impressive feat considering he outweighed her by at least fifty pounds. His knife slid across the floor and Reyna snatched it up. Without missing a beat, she slashed in Caleb's direction, both weapons raised.

"Not so tough now, are you?" she taunted.

With that, Noah fled the room. Caleb, however, crept even closer. Rather than going in for the attack, Reyna tossed Octavian's sword to the side, raised her hand to her mouth, and let out a high-pitched whistle. Not a second later, Scipio crashed through the large stained glass window landed a solid kick to the boy's head. He collapsed, a large bump already showing on his forehead.

"Good boy, Scipio!" Reyna hopped on his back and patted his muzzle. She stared down Noah, who took off running.

Will had been so distracted watching Reyna he'd forgotten about the rest of the fight going on around him for a moment. He turned around to see Octavian throw Claire off of him. She crashed violently into a solid marble bust, knocking it to the ground and smashing it to pieces. She hit the ground and cried out.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nico crawling away, clutching at his shoulder trying to stop the blood flow. He locked eyes with Will, then looked over at Octavian and Claire, and Will understood exactly what he meant. _Take care of them first._

Octavian jumped to his feet and started to rush at Reyna, but Will was one step ahead of him. He noticed the way Octavian's cape dragged on the ground and suddenly idea came to him that was either really brave or really, _really_ stupid. He leaped forward and stabbed Nico's sword into the ground, spearing Octavian's cape in the process. Octavian was snatched backwards and fell on his back. Scipio galloped forward and pinned Octavian to the ground with one of his front hooves.

"Way to go, Will!" Reyna called.

"I didn't think that was even going to work, but thanks!" Will grinned. He pulled Nico's sword out of the floorboards and dashed back over to his two injured friends.

He reached Nico first and helped him to his feet. Nico accepted his support gratefully, but protested when Will offered to heal him. "I'll be fine, help her first," He gestured over to Claire again, who hadn't moved since she hit the ground. Will grudgingly left his side and sprinted over to Claire.

"Is anything broken?" he asked, kneeling next to her and helping her sit up. She groaned at his touch.

"Everything hurts," she muttered. "Literally every single inch of my body. I feel like a punching bag with nerve endings."

Will couldn't help but laugh as he gently checked her arms and legs. "Nothing seems to be broken or sprained. Maybe some internal bruising or bleeding. Can you breathe okay?"

"Will, I'll be okay," she said.

"Get off of me you disgusting creature," Octavian groaned under the weight of pegasus hoof on his chest. "I never liked you."

"Shut up, blondie," Reyna said. "Hey, guys, what do you think we should do with him?"

"How about we tie him up? Maybe slap him around a little? Give him a taste of his own medicine?" Claire said.

"Claire?" Octavian feigned sadness. "And to think, I was about to appoint you to be my right-hand lieutenant."

"Save it, Octavian," she sneered. "I can't believe I used to think I liked you."

"Whatever we do, we better do it quick before that other kid comes back with reinforcements," Nico pointed out.

Claire stood shakily and stared down at Octavian. "You all go. I'll take care of things here."

Reyna frowned. "Are you sure, Claire? I'm sure if we took two trips we could take you with us."

"I'll hunt you down," Octavian groaned. "You'll never get away from me for long. I'll-" he was cut off by a pegasus hoof to the face.

"I'm sure," Claire said. "Maybe I can try to fix things with some of the other campers. But as long as there are still so many loyal to _him_ , it's not safe for any of you to be anywhere near here. You don't need me dragging you down. Get as far away as possible."

"You are incredibly brave Claire," Reyna bowed her head to her. "Thank you."

Claire blushed and gave Reyna a small curtsy. "Anything for the true Praetor of New Rome. Hopefully one day you'll be back where you belong?"

"Hopefully," Reyna smiled. "But for now, Will, Nico, we've got to get going. Hazel and Frank are probably worried sick about us. I'm sure Scipio can handle the weight of all three of us for a while, can't you boy?"

"You sure about that, Reyna?" Nico asked. "It's a long trip back. I'm sure I could just shadow jump us there."

"You can barely move your own arm more than an inch. It's not happening. Besides, you and Will are both scrawny, I'm sure Scipio won't have a problem."

Will climbed onto Scipio's back and helped Nico up, making sure to be careful of his left shoulder.

"You all be careful out there," Claire said. "I'll be rooting for you."

Reyna nodded to her, and with that, Scipio set off into the sky, soaring through the broken glass window and out of sight.

Seeing a giant flying horse with three passengers on its back zip through the sky at four in the morning wasn't the oddest thing Hazel had ever seen, but it came very close.

"What on earth happened to you?" Hazel gasped. Scipio landed roughly on the ground, kicking up dirt and leaves all around him. Will immediately hopped off with Nico in his arms. "Oh gods, is he okay?" Hazel asked. "Nico?"

"I'm fine," Nico muttered. "You can put me down now."

Will shook his head. "Not happening. You're lost so much blood from that stab wound you can barely stand up."

"Stab wound?" Frank cried. "What happened out there?"

"Octavian happened," Reyna said, dismounting from Scipio. He laid down and whinnied quietly, as if he were exhaling. Reyna knelt down next to him and ran a hand through his mane. "You did such a good job out there buddy. It's alright, you can rest now," she cooed in his ear.

Will put Nico down by the fire and sat down next to him. "Try not to move around so much," Will told him. Nico obeyed and sat still while Will looked him over. "Okay, you're going to have to take your shirt off."

"Why?" Nico hoped it didn't sound as squeaky and panicked as he thought it did. Suddenly Reyna's scrawny comment from earlier was bothering him.

"I need to be able to actually touch the wound to heal it. Plus, your shirt's almost completely soaked through anyway." Will said simply.

Nico glanced over and looked for any hint of embarrassment or nervousness on Will's face, but saw nothing. Will was completely calm, as if it were the most normal situation they could possibly be in. Which meant Nico was the one overthinking it and making himself nervous. Fantastic.

Reyna glanced over at the pair and raised an eyebrow at them, then pretended not to be oblivious. "Hey, Hazel, Frank, do you mind maybe getting some food and water for Scipio. I'd do it myself, but I think he wants me to stay here with him."

"Sure," Hazel said, taking Frank's hand. "We can get clean water and some apples from one of the shops nearby."

"But..." Frank glanced back and forth, confused, "shouldn't we maybe not leave them alone here?"

"They'll be fine," Hazel insisted. "Come on, let's _go_."

As they walked off, Reyna turned back to Nico and mouthed the words _'You're welcome_ ' to him. Nico didn't know whether he wanted to hug her or strangle her. Maybe he'd do both at the same time.

Will didn't even blink as Nico hesitantly tugged his ripped, blood-stained shirt over his head, careful not to move his left arm. He flinched at the cold touch of the other boys' hands on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a faint golden glow surround Will's entire body, growing brighter as he began singing.

" _Flos nitoris fulgore et lumen. Ostende Virtutem Tuam. Convertimini Tempus. Adducere reportat quod nostra fuit,"_ Will sang out quietly. " _Sanabant laesus. Fates tentabis. Salvabo quod amissum est. Adducere reportat quod nostra fuit_..."

"You sang it differently this time," Nico noticed.

Will nodded. "Sometimes it's stronger when I change the words. Like my dad can hear my prayer louder and he tries to help." Will carefully traced a cautious finger across the scar that was left. Nico winced slightly but tried to hide it. Will pulled away and sighed. "I'm sorry, it doesn't work as well when I'm scared or stressed. Usually changing certain words makes it stronger, I guess but it doesn't always work. It still hurts, doesn't it?"

"No," Nico lied, tugging his shirt back on.

Will pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head in his arms. "I knew this was going to happen. I knew you were going to get hurt because of me."

"You couldn't have known that," Nico told him. He got that nagging urge in the back of his head to reach out and comfort him again, which he immediately pushed away.

"Yes, I could have. It's in the prophecy. There's a line about a horrible loss and it's all coming true now because I didn't just stay at home like I should have."

"The prophecy you told me about being the Child of the Sun? You never told me about that part. You only said something about _'the Child of the Sun to be freed at last_ '. That sounds like the final line of the prophecy, and that already came true when me and Reyna took you away from Gaea."

"That _is_ the last line. But the prophecy can't have come true yet, because the line before that is ' _A selfless act shall correct the past.'_ Maybe you and Reyna and your friends protecting me is the selfless act, but the past hasn't been corrected. Gaea is still after us; the Romans and Greeks are still at war. Nothing has changed."

Nico didn't know what to say. Part of him wanted to pry for information, to get Will to talk more about it, but he knew that'd only cause Will to get more upset. He was already near tears, sitting curled up in the fetal position with his face hidden buried in his arms. So small and vulnerable.

"I guess we'll have to be leaving soon," Will changed the subject. "We wasted this whole day, so we have to get back on schedule, right?"

"We'll probably leave once Hazel and Frank get back," Nico said. "The sooner we get to Camp Half-Blood with the statue the better."

_Good_ , Will thought. _The sooner I stop being a burden to them, the better._


	8. Salvabo Quod Amissum Est

Not too long after their conversation, Hazel and Frank returned. Will hung back in silence as Nico and Reyna said their goodbyes. They were all exhausted and no one really wanted to leave so soon, but they were already a day off schedule - which Will blamed himself for, if they didn't have to rescue him they would have been far away from Madrid by now - and they couldn't afford to waste any more time. He realized it had been nearly twenty-four hours since he last slept. The sun would be rising

within the hour, which meant that they had to leave as soon as possible before Nico's shadow travel was rendered useless in the daylight and they were stuck for another day.

"Where are you headed to next?" Hazel asked.

"Preferably as close as we can possibly get to the ocean," Reyna said, casting a sad glance at her pegasus. She had hesitantly decided to leave Scipio with Hazel rather than trust him to fly himself back home. Camp Jupiter was still out there and she didn't want to run the risk of him getting shot down with no one to save him. "After that, we'll just have to take it one day at a time. Hopefully we'll make it to New York before the summer solstice." She walked over to Will and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

As ready as he'd ever be, he nodded. It was already June 19th, which meant Reyna and Nico were planning to cross the span of the entire Atlantic Ocean in two days. It seemed nearly impossible, considering how slowly they'd been traveling thus far, but Will decided not to question it. They hadn't been too horribly wrong with their planning yet. He trusted them to make it on time, preferably before anything worse could happen. The prophecy was set to come to pass the same day they arrived.

Hopefully, if everything went according to plan, he'd be able to distance himself as far away as possible from Nico and Reyna so he could avoid causing them any more trouble and loss than necessary.

Hazel buried her head in Nico's chest and squeezed him tight. "Iris message me as soon as you're safe at Camp. That's not a request, that's an order, got it?"

"Love you, too, Hazel," he hugged her back, still being careful not to jostle his left shoulder too much.

Then he joined Reyna and Will at the base of the statue and linked hands with both of them.

"Hey, Frank," Nico turned and called back, "take care of my little sister, alright?"

"She doesn't need me to look after her," Frank smiled.

"Oh, I know," said Nico, "I'm just making sure you remember not to mistreat her or else you'll have to suffer the consequences."

Frank's face paled.

"I'm joking," Nico deadpanned.

"Right. Of course," Frank exhaled. "Good luck out there, you guys."

Hazel made direct eye contact with Will and gave him a small, sad smile. He didn't even have time to return the gesture before the world around him went dark and Hazel and Frank were gone.

* * *

Will still couldn't get the hang of landing after shadow travel. The darkness and the air blowing a hundred miles per hour directly into his face combined with the odd falling sensation and dizziness didn't exactly make landing flat on his feet the easiest task to accomplish. At least this time around, Reyna and Nico both fell to the ground as well, which made him feel a little better about himself.

The amazing view they had made him feel better too. They were laid out on a deserted beach somewhere on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The moonlight reflected off the seawater and cast faint shadows across the sand. A hint of reddish-yellow light peeked over the horizon, the first hint of sunrise. They'd jumped time zones, Will realized.

He sat up and shook the sand out of his hair. "What is this place?" he sighed. "It's beautiful."

"Welcome to Lisbon. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to nap for the next century," Nico muttered, then promptly fell asleep right where he laid.

Reyna groaned. "We traveled more than three hundred and eighty miles. I told him not to push himself so hard." She walked over to where he laid and sat on the ground next to him, gently placing his head in her lap. "Nico," she called out quietly. "You've got to stay up."

Nico groaned and turned to face away from her.

"Come on, wake up," Reyna said, a bit louder this time. "You can't start fading away on me again."

Fading away? Will looked to Reyna for an explanation, but she didn't give him one. Nico grudgingly sat up, rubbing at his eyes.

"I'll be fine, Reyna," he insisted.

"You already look paler than usual, and I didn't even think that was possible," Reyna chastised him. As Will took a closer look, he realized what she was talking about. Reyna took hold of Nico's hand, but his skin looked almost translucent. Any other time, Will may have thought it was a trick of the light, but it was clear that Nico was actually disappearing into thin air.

Will must have looked terrified, because Nico got caught one look at his face and immediately brightened up. "Hey, it's just a side effect of too much shadow travel," Nico explained, "after I get some rest it'll wear off and I'll be as good as new. No need to panic, okay?"

Will didn't believe him for one second. "How are we supposed to make it to New York? You can't possibly make it that far without fading away completely."

"Well," Reyna said, "we could always call in favor with another friend of ours. I'm sure Per-"

"No," Nico interrupted her. "It's not happening."

"Well do you have any better ideas?" Reyna asked. "Think about it Nico, he's our only sure chance of making it there on time."

"I don't need his help. And we're not _that_ desperate."

"Maybe not yet. But what if we get attacked again? Or if you can't muster up enough energy to make the jump and we end up stranded on some deserted island in the middle of nowhere?"

"I'm sure if it came down to that, you could lend me some strength."

"And when I can't sustain you anymore, then what?"

They glared at each other. Will felt like he might get whiplash if he watched their argument any longer.

"If it comes to that," Nico said slowly, "then maybe I'll consider it. But I make no promises."

Will rubbed at his temple. "Alright, I'm confused, who exactly are we talking about here?"

"An old friend of ours, Percy Jackson-" Reyna began.

"-who we don't need to ask for help," Nico finished. "This isn't up for discussion right now."

The name had come up twice before since Will had started traveling with them, and always, Nico had had the same reaction: hostility and anger. Reyna called Percy an old friend, but if Will had to guess, he'd think Nico wasn't friends with him at all.

Reyna and Nico avoided the topic for the rest of the day. The three of them were stuck on the beach with nowhere to go since Nico had to spend majority of the day resting. At one point, Reyna had ventured off alone to see if there were any towns nearby with no luck. They truly were stuck until they could figure out a way to get to New York. And with Nico's stubbornness towards asking for help, Will figured they'd be stuck there for a long time.

* * *

The day passed uneventfully. Nico slept for fifteen straight hours, only waking up once when Reyna forced him to drink some nectar and eat something. Reyna, on the other hand, had spent the whole day wide-awake and on alert. She paced up and down the beach, dagger in hand, staring at the skies and all around them, not daring to let her guard down for even a moment. At one point he'd fallen asleep and woken up a few hours later to the sun setting behind him and Reyna still pacing back and forth in the same spot.

"Sorry," she'd said once she noticed Will staring at her. "I'm just a little paranoid. Worried that they might find us again."

Will nodded understandably. "We'll be safe here. They couldn't track us down this far away so quickly."

"I guess you're right," Reyna said. "I can't help but be scared for Claire, though. I'm sure Frank and Hazel fled as soon as they could, but Claire may not have been lucky enough to get away. Octavian could be doing anything to her right now."

"She's a strong fighter," Will said. "And she isn't going to let Octavian walk all over her without putting up a fight."

Reyna frowned, staring down at her feet. "I should have gotten rid of him when I had the chance. All he'll ever do is hurt more people."

Will didn't really think Reyna was that type of person. Yes, she cared deeply about those close to her, but not enough where she'd actively seek out revenge against someone. She did what was right and protected those she loved at any cost, but she didn't seem like the type to enjoy confrontation.

She continued pacing for another hour until Nico finally woke up. He still looked exhausted and Will guess he could have probably slept for another fifteen hours with no problem. Instead, he forced himself to stay awake and occupied his time by gathering wood nearby and setting a small fire.

He reached into Reyna's bag and pulled out a pillow and blanket and set them out next to the fire. Then he crept up silently behind her and caught her off guard, snatching her dagger from her hands and holding it high above his head where he couldn't reach.

"Hey!" She cried out in protest. "What are you doing? Give it back."

"Go to sleep," he told her. "I'll give it back to you in the morning."

"I'm not tired," Reyna said, jumping to try to reach it. "I can keep watch for a few more hours."

"You've been awake for almost two days," Nico countered.

Realization dawned on her face. She'd been so preoccupied worrying about her friends she hadn't even realized how much time had passed. "Fine," she muttered. "I'll sleep. But I want my dagger back."

He handed it to her, then gently guided her by the shoulders over towards the fire. Exhaustion fell over her the moment her head hit the pillow and she was asleep almost as soon as she laid down. Nico shook his head and smiled.

"She worries about me too much," he said. "I admire her selflessness, but she's going to end up hurting herself one of these days."

He walked over and sat in the sand next to Will and they fell into comfortable silence. Still, the nagging voice in the back of Will's mind wanted to ask so many questions.

He decided to start the conversation on a lighter note. "You know, you can go back to sleep if you want. I can keep watch for a while."

"Maybe I will in a little while," Nico said. "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own for the night?"

"I can't make any promises, but it doesn't seem like there are any murderous Romans out for my blood on this beach tonight, so I think I'll be alright."

They lapsed into silence again, the only noises around them being the light lapping of the waves on the shore and the crackling of the fire. It may have been peaceful were it not for the constant worry looming over them. By morning they'd probably be off the on the next leg of their journey, and from that moment on there'd be no stopping until they reached their final destination. Will figured it was as good a time as any. If he didn't ask now he may never know.

"So he keeps coming up in conversation, and you still won't explain, but I have to ask. What exactly do you have against Percy Jackson?" Will asked hesitantly.

Nico gave his usual answer. "Nothing. He's nobody."

Will slowly inched closer, "You know, it might help to talk about it."

Nico glanced down and noticed the change in distance between them, but decided not to comment on it. "I met him when I was ten years old," he began. "He saved me and my sister Bianca from a manticore and from that day on I idolized him, like he was some kind of hero worth worshipping or something. Even after he let my sister get killed on a quest. I hated myself for loving him." He sighed and shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

"So you've held this grudge for six years because he let your sister die, and because you loved him?"

"Those are the main reasons, yes."

"You mean love like-"

"Yes, I mean I was _in love_ with him. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"No, no, not at all!" Will hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until he exhaled loudly. "It's just that I don't know much about love. Except for the love from my friends I've met, obviously. Not much about falling for someone and living happily ever after. I don't know how all of that really works. I was beginning to think something was wrong with me because in all of the stories I've read they never once mentioneda prince falling in love with a man _."_

Nico stared at him, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. After a long pause, he asked, "I thought you'd given up on that whole storybook obsession?"

Will thought back to his previously treasured copy of Sleeping Beauty that he'd left torn to shreds on the floor of Piper's guest room. It was the one souvenir he'd brought from home and it used to have so much sentimental value, but now it didn't matter to him at all.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "That's all I've ever known. When I was young all I would do is read. Especially when I would get depressed about my life or when I felt like something was missing. Gaea would leave me alone for days at a time and I had no one." He hadn't even realized the harsh truth behind that statement until he said it out loud. "I was lonely, so I surrounded myself with stories and fairy tales. This is my first taste of real life and it's not exactly what I was expecting."

"You don't need those made up stories, you have us now," Nico said simply. "I'm sorry the real world isn't as great as you thought it would be. But you didn't really think your life would be like a fairytale, right?" Nico nudged him playfully. "I mean, you didn't honestly think you'd meet royalty and immediately fall in love and get married the next day, would you?"

He hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt. "That's not what I meant and you know it," Will grumbled.

Nico actually laughed, a sound Will thought he'd never hear. It sounded beautiful. He hoped he wasn't blushing even harder after thinking that. "No need to feel embarrassed. You know, it might help to talk about it," Nico echoed.

"I'm not sure." Will's voice caught in his throat. He wasn't sure of a lot of things. He wasn't sure if he really knew what he was feeling. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it. He definitely wasn't sure why he was so nervous talking to Nico about it.

"It's not the easiest thing to talk about, especially when you're not ready," Nico said quietly. "Trust me, I know."

Will locked eyes Nico. The glow of the fire illuminated his usually dark irises. Something felt different about him now. He seemed more open, more trustworthy. More friendly.

They held eye contact for just a second too long.

"So, enough about my horrible childhood, what about you?" Nico looked away and coughed into his fist. "Are you ever going to tell me the full prophecy or are you just going to keep it some huge mystery forever?"

" _Of gold from the Gods shall a hero rise. A unique gift, an immeasurable prize. When turned eighteen will see the light. A loss most wrong to set things right. A selfless act shall correct the past, the child of the sun to be freed at last_ ," Will recited. "You've already heard most of it."

Nico nodded. "Only one of the middle lines is new. _When turned eighteen will see the light._ That sounds good, right?"

"Maybe. I used to think I had it figured out but none of it makes any sense anymore." Will frowned.

"The greatest prophecies never do."

"But _a loss most wrong_ is what I'm afraid of. In two days when I turn eighteen, something bad is going to happen. Enough horrible things have happened already, so that just means that this loss is going to be even worse than what we've already faced."

"That's not necessarily true," Nico said. "You can never be sure what a prophecy means until it comes to pass."

"But it can't possibly mean anything good," Will buried his head in his arms as the guilt came rushing in again. "I can't change what the Fates have designed, Nico. Someone is going to get seriously hurt because of me, and it'll most likely be you or Reyna or Piper or one of my other new friends, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Fate works in mysterious ways, Will. Don't worry about it right now. It'll be okay, I promise," Nico gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before standing and walking towards where Reyna slept. "Get some rest tonight, okay? We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Will said, though he whispered it so quietly he doubted Nico heard him.

Nico laid out next to Reyna and in the next few minutes, his breathing slowed as he fell deep into slumber. The forest became quiet once more and Will began to remember how much he hated the silence.

" _Well, well, well_ ," a voice hissed from behind him, "Wasn't that touching?"

Will whirled around and came face to face with Gaea and stifled a scream.

Only it wasn't really her. She seemed almost transparent in the moonlight, as if it were just an apparition. He hoped for a moment that it was a ghost, but he could feel the temperature drop as she seemed to pull the warmth and energy out of everything surrounding her. No ghost or hallucination could cause that.

She smiled cruelly. "Who would have thought my precious grandson would run off with two fugitive demigods? And to think, I thought he trusted me. I thought he loved me."

"You're a liar," said Will. He tried his hardest to act brave. _She isn't here. This isn't real. She's manipulating you_. Still, he trembled in fear, his hands shaking uncontrollably at his sides. "I'm not your grandson. And any time I trusted you I regret it."

"But I took care of you all these years," Gaea's figure floated towards him, "I fed you and bought you gifts and sheltered you. Why would I do that without reason?"

Will backed away as quickly as he could. "You used me and you lied to me. About everything. I'm not related to you or Helios or the Titans at all. I'm Apollo's lost son."

"Yes, you insolent little brat, you are," Gaea huffed. The earth swirled at her feet as she hovered closer to him. Will felt as if he was suddenly standing in quicksand. His feet stuck to the ground and he was trapped in place, forced to watch Gaea hover in circles around him and taunt him. Her voice felt like needles pricking at his brain. "I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out. You're the child of that obnoxious Olympian and some mortal woman. Your daddy dearest loved Adalynn Solace so much he blessed you with your exceptional healing as a gift to her. But don't worry about her now, I took care of her a long time ago."

_Adalynn_. He'd never even heard his mother's name before. "What did you do to her?"

"I disposed of her as necessary, the same way I did with Esperanza Valdez and Marie Levesque, though her cursed little daughter managed to slip her way back out of the Underworld," she hissed. "But that doesn't matter now. Zeus took care of your father for me and punished him for abusing his power, which gave me the perfect opportunity to take you for myself with few casualties. But I won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to get you back. Which is why, if you surrender, I won't hurt your little friends."

Will's took a shaky breath and forced his words out. "You killed my mother and kidnapped me. You ruined my friends' lives. And now you expect me to trust that you won't hurt Nico and Reyna?"

"No, I don't expect you to trust me," she grinned evilly, "but you know that if you decide to go against me you will all face catastrophic consequences. Choose wisely, Will."

"I'll never go with you ever again. You're evil! You're a monster!"

She cackled loudly. "Very well," her form began sinking to the ground as her words faded out. "You have forty eight hours. Lets wait and see what the prophecy will decide for you. After that, I'll take care of whatever is left myself. Happy birthday, Will."

Her last sentence echoed into the trees as she disappeared, leaving behind no trace of her appearance. Will's entire body shook uncontrollably, Gaea's speech replaying over and over in his mind, meanwhile Reyna and Nico slept close to the fire, peaceful and unsuspecting.

Forty eight hours. Only two more days of peace before he faced this terrible loss.

This was shaping up to be the worst birthday ever.


	9. Quid Iterum Sibi Mea Erat

Good news was that Will wasn't afraid of falling asleep during his watch. Bad news was he couldn't sleep at all after his encounter with Gaea, even if he tried.

Nico and Reyna had slept soundly through the whole thing, which made him think Gaea must have been talking to him in his head, the way she nearly hypnotized him at the zoo. The apparition of her couldn't have really been her, either. They would have felt the temperature drop or heard her footsteps. She wasn't really there. But she knew where they were, which only made Will more paranoid that she'd decide to change her mind and attack them at any moment.

He was putting them in danger. Part of him wanted to sneak off into the night and run as far away as he possibly could before they had a chance to stop him. But he wasn't naive. He knew he wouldn't survive out in the world alone for even a day.

Besides, he'd miss Reyna and Nico too much to stay gone for long.

Nico woke up first, immediately checking his surroundings to make sure Will and Reyna hadn't vanished in the middle of the night. He took one look at Will and his eyes widened.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, tugging his hands through his disheveled bed head. "You look like you've seen a ghost. And not the friendly kind."

Will realized he was still curled into the fetal position on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. His fear and paranoia probably showed in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and gave Nico a small smile.

"I'm fine," He said. "Just... lost in thought," He paused. "There are friendly ghosts?"

"If you know where to find them," Nico said. "Wandering spirits make great friends sometimes."

"Oh here he goes again," Reyna muttered, still half-asleep. "Are you going to reminisce about the good old days when you'd spend all your free time in the Underworld chatting it up with Persephone and playing fetch with Cerberus?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "No, I wasn't going to do that, Reyna. I thought you were asleep."

"I was," she said, sitting up and stretching out like a cat, "barely. Besides, we don't have time to waste sleeping; we've got a big day ahead of us. I say we Iris message Percy as soon as the sun's up high enough to make a rainbow. The sooner we talk to him the better."

Nico made a face at her. "Do we have to?"

"Yes," she snapped. "Face it, Nico, as much as you hate to do this, we have no other choice."

Nico groaned. "Fine, let's just get this over with." He stood and started making his way down the beach. "I'm going to go get some more fire wood."

Will tried to hide the smile on his face as he watched Nico walk away. It brought him an odd sense of joy to see Nico so unenthusiastic about this whole situation.

Reyna cleared her throat, catching Will's attention. He looked over to see her grinning at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You were staring," she said.

Will tilted his head. "I was?"

"Yes," Reyna laughed and shook her head. "You two are both so blind it's ridiculous."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Reyna sighed and laid back with her hands behind her head. "Nothing. You two will figure it out eventually."

Will didn't get a chance to ask her to elaborate, because Nico returned a second later with his arms full of logs. He knelt down and added them to the pile, wincing slightly at the tug on his left shoulder.

"It's still bothering you," Will said. It wasn't a question. Apollo had blessed him with exceptional power and he couldn't even fix a measly shoulder wound because he was too nervous around Nico to make the hymn powerful enough.

"Don't worry about it," Nico said, as if he could tell exactly what Will was thinking. "You tried your best. That's all that matters. Once we get to camp I can have someone in the infirmary take a better look at it."

Reyna helped him spark a small fire and the three demigods huddled around it, grateful for the heat. Even though it was summer, without the sun shining, the early morning brought brisk temperatures. They ate a makeshift breakfast of granola bars and leftover fruit from the basket Piper had given him.

At the break of dawn, Nico and Reyna set off to work creating the connection for their message. Reyna pulled a compact mirror from her bag and walked down to the shore of the beach, submerging it in a shallow pool of water. After a few minutes of adjusting the position so it was angled perfectly at the light and waiting for the sun to rise higher into the sky, a small rainbow reflected off the surface of the water.

"It's... smaller than I expected," Will said.

"But it'll work," Reyna said, taking a drachma from her bag and handing it to Nico. "I'll let you do the honors."

Nico reluctantly took the gold coin from her hand with a sigh. "Oh Iris, goddess of messengers, accept my offering," he murmured. He tossed the drachma and it disappeared into thin air. The rainbow shimmered in front of them and, a moment later, a messy head of curly blonde hair appeared in front of them.

"Huh?" Reyna tilted her head. "Annabeth?"

The blonde girl had been asleep in a dark room. She turned around on her bed and it took her a moment to realize where the noise was coming from, but when she recognized her old friends, she grinned widely.

"Reyna! Nico!" she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I thought I'd never see you guys again. But you do realize it's about two in the morning here, right?"

Reyna waved and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Listen, Annabeth," Nico said. "We need to talk to Percy. I thought I called for him, but-"

"Oh, he's here. Percy!" she called out. A few seconds later a young man, about nineteen, came into view. He peeked his head out from behind Annabeth's shoulders and squinted through the dark, muttering something about Annabeth interrupting his dream.

So this was Percy Jackson. Will glanced over at Nico, whose eyes had widened and cheeks were flushed bright red. It took him a second to realize why: Percy and Annabeth had been asleep together. In the same bed. _Oh_.

Both of them were still fully clothed, of course, and they didn't seem the least bit embarrassed to be seen like this, so it shouldn't have bothered Will much. But he could still feel the heat rising to his cheeks. No doubt his face was as red as Nico's. Reyna, one the other hand, looked completely unaffected. As if she were used to things like this.

"Well this is a nice surprise," Percy laughed. "I thought you two might have disappeared off the face of the earth. It's good to see you two again." He glanced at Will and his smile wavered slightly. "Who's this?"

"A friend of ours," Nico said quickly, not bothering with the full introduction, which Will was grateful for. He got tired of the shocked and awed expressions when people realized who he was. He didn't exactly think his tragic childhood deserved praise and admiration. "We had something we needed to ask you. I - we need your help with something."

"Name it and it's done," Percy said immediately.

Reyna and Nico exchanged a concerned glance. "Well," Reyna said, "it's kind of a ridiculous request..."

"Are we talking pink poodles ridiculous or murderous grains ridiculous?"

Reyna blinked twice. "What?"

"Nothing, never mind," Percy shook his head. "What are we dealing with here?"

"You know the Athena Parthenos, the giant ancient statue that caused the whole Greek and Roman rivalry?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, the name rings a bell," Percy said sarcastically.

Annabeth turned and whacked him on the shoulder. "What about it, Nico?"

"We have it right here on the beach," he replied casually, leaning out of the way and gesturing back with his thumb, revealing the view of the statue to them. "And we need to get it across the Atlantic Ocean. Preferably by tomorrow. And we need your help."

Percy and Annabeth stared blankly.

"I know it's an outrageous request," Reyna said. "but you understand how important this is, right?"

Percy paused to think for a moment. "Of course we understand how important this is. It could change everything. But I can't guarantee anything. The Gods are still in limbo. If it's Neptune we're dealing with, this may not be so easy. But if Poseidon is on my side, it just might work."

"So what you're saying is you'll do it?" said Reyna.

"Of course," Percy said. "I'd do anything for you guys." The connection started to flicker out and the image of Percy and Annabeth started fading. "I'll be on my way first thing in the morning. Where are you?"

"Lisbon," Nico said quickly. "We're on a long beach in the west. I don't know the exact coordinates but maybe I can-"

"Don't worry about it," Percy cut him off, the connection becoming more unstable every second. "I'll find my way there. See you in a few hours."

"Thank you," Nico said. Not a second later, the image of Percy and Annabeth disappeared and the three of them were left staring out into the ocean. Nico groaned and flopped back onto the sand. "Well that could have been worse," he muttered.

"Stop being so melodramatic," Reyna rolled her eyes. She stood, walked over to the Athena Parthenos and leaned against it casually. "You're lucky we have weird friends like Percy and Annabeth who will hear things like 'Yeah, we stole a statue and need you to travel more than three thousand miles in a day to come pick it up for us' and they agree without hesitation. I mean, who else could say they have people who'd do that for them?"

Nico groaned again. "Don't remind me. I talk to him for the first time in three years and this is what I ask for." He kicked his feet in the sand and hid his face in his hands out of frustration.

"Where exactly did you steal this from?" Will asked, dragging his hand across the base of the statue. "I remember you mentioning guards looking for you when we first met, but where exactly were these people guarding it?"

"A high-security, world renowned museum in Rome," Reyna said. "It was a piece of cake compared to some of the other things we've done. It was originally hidden underground, but long story short, word got out about its possible location and it was retrieved and put on display. The legend behind the statue dates back centuries, it's popular among even mortals, so they jumped on their chance to have a legendary symbol of Greek and Roman history in their museums."

"Which of course means we stole it back within a week," said Nico. He sat up and folded his arms across his chest. "Retrieving the Athena Parthenos was originally a solo quest granted to Annabeth by her mother -"

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume she's Athena's daughter," Will said.

Nico nodded. "She barely got started on her way before the incident where they were driven away from Camp Jupiter. It wasn't really Leo's fault that he fired on Camp and essentially started a civil war, of course, but in all the chaos and violence, we were all driven even further apart and the seven of the prophecy were never able to finish their quest. The second Great Prophecy never came to pass."

"Second Great Prophecy?" Will asked. "What was the first?"

"The first centered happened when the Titans Kronos and Krios tried to overthrow Olympus a few years ago," Nico explained. "The second is: _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, to storm or fire the world must fall, an oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the doors of death._ Foes being Greeks and Romans of course.

"You've already met five out of the seven mentioned in the prophecy," Reyna said. "Piper, Hazel and Frank, and of course, Percy and Annabeth. The other two are Leo Valdez and Jason Grace."

Will immediately recognized Valdez as the last name of one of the women Gaea had mentioned the night before, one of the women she'd killed along with Marie Levesque and Adalynn Solace. No doubt she was Leo's mother.

"They were on their way to Rome to retrieve the statue and close the doors of death in hopes to reunite the two sides so they could fight together to destroy Gaea. Needless to say, that last part didn't really work out..." Nico awkwardly let his sentence fade off.

Will decided not to comment. Of course, it hadn't been the other demigods' faults that his life had turned out the way it did. Gaea had controlled and destroyed all of their lives since they were young. They couldn't have prevented his fate any more than he could. Instead he decided to ask, "What are the doors of death?"

"Thantos' personal gateway into the Underworld," said Nico. "Gaea took control of them and left them open in Tartarus. At one point I was planning to venture down there myself to see if I could find them, but I never got a chance to."

"That's why the war is so difficult right now; souls can freely return from the dead," Reyna added. "Technically, Percy and the others could continue their quest where they left off and they could still succeed. Annabeth failed following the Mark of Athena, but with us returning the statue, it might help put them back on track."

"So that's why you're doing this?" Will turned to Nico. "To help _Percy_?" He sounded more hostile than he intended. He saw the way Nico looked seeing Percy and Annabeth together; he knew there was still something there, however small that something may be. He tried not to show it, and he hated to admit it, but he was slightly jealous. "And your other friends?" He quickly added.

"That's part of the reason," Nico said carefully. "That, and the fact that I want this war to be over. I want there to be peace between both sides, and I want to be accepted again..." he became very quiet. "And I don't want anyone else to be hurt by Gaea's evil. I don't want her hurting anyone else ever again. I want _you_ to be safe."

Nico stared directly at Will. It was the same endearing look he'd given him at the campfire the night before. Suddenly some of that jealously melted away and was replaced with flutters in his stomach and his heart beating hard against his ribcage.

He silently scolded himself. He'd already decided the night before that his life was so fairytale, and Nico definitely was no prince charming. They had a quest to complete and an evil goddess to destroy. He couldn't let his budding feelings complicate things more. And yet he couldn't shake the fluttering feeling he got in his stomach at the idea of Nico caring about him that way. After all, he'd been in love with Percy. The idea wasn't too far fetched.

"You're doing it again," Reyna muttered.

Nico tore his eyes away from Will and looked at Reyna. "Doing what?"

"Nothing," Will lied. He wracked his brain for the first excuse he could come up with. "Sorry, I can't really focus. I'm just... tired." It wasn't a total lie. He was so distraught from Gaea's appearance the night before that he hadn't even thought he could get to sleep if he tried. But now it was well into the morning and the exhaustion was creeping up on him.

Reyna folded her arms over her chest. "Oh, really?"

"Really," Will insisted.

Nico, however, seemed to think it was a legitimate enough answer. "Get some rest," he said. "Reyna and I will wake you if anything happens."

Will nodded gratefully and walked back over to their campfire without another word. Drowsiness washed over him the moment he laid down on one of Reyna's pillows and shut his eyes, and within two minutes, he was asleep.

The nightmares came almost immediately.

_He was on a hill, hiding in the shrubbery with two unfamiliar teenagers, a boy and a girl, both dressed in bright orange tee-shirts. He guessed they were younger than him, but all three had camouflaged themselves so it was hard to tell what either one really looked like. He was younger, he could feel it. Maybe fifteen?_

_Nico was there too, albeit shorter and paler than his present self. And he and Will were arguing._

_"We know," Will was saying. "But if you're planning to shadow-travel to that command tent, forget it."_

_Nico glared at him. "Excuse me?"_

" _Coach Hedge told me all about your shadow-travel. You can't try that again." He didn't know who Coach Hedge was. Majority of what he was saying made no sense. So much of the nightmare was unfamiliar, yet he felt an odd sense of connection with what was happening around him._

" _I just did try it again, Solace. I'm fine."_

" _No, you're not. I'm a healer. I could feel the darkness in your hand as soon as I touched it. Even if you made it to that tent, you'd be in no shape to fight. But you wouldn't make it. One more slip, and you won't come back. You are not shadow-traveling. Doctor's orders."_

_But Nico didn't listen. He defiantly summoned the shadows around him to surround him. Suddenly his face contorted into a look of pure horror. Nico fell backwards into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness, fading away, screaming for help. The souls of the dead seemed to be reaching out, draggi_ _n_ _g him down and shrieking in delight. "Join us!" they said. "Come be where you belong_ _!_ _"_

_The scene shifted._

_Reyna was being held up by the arms by Noah and Caleb. Claire lay unmoving at her feet, unconscious... or worse._ _Reyna_ _didn't even put up a fight, and instead she was reduced to tears staring at the body of_ _her_ _friend. Octavian stood a few feet away, cruelly smiling and caressing a sharp knife in his hands._

_"That's what happens to traitors, Reyna," he shook his head, as if he had even a hint of regret. "Now it's your turn."_

_It was a public execution A surrounding crowd of Roman demigods roared enthusiastically as Octavian took four agonizingly slow steps up to Reyna and gently placed the knife against her chin. Will cried out "No! Stop!" He tried pushing his way to the front of the crowd to no avail. He was trying to get someone, anyone to notice how wrong this was, to stop Octavian. But he was invisible among the sea of Roman legionnaires._

_Octavian slashed across her neck in one swift motion. Will screamed out as the river of blood poured from the wound before the scene changed again._

_Hazel, crying and screaming as the world collapses around her. Frank, growing weaker each second as a flaming stick burns away in his hands. Piper, desperately grabbing at the hands secured tightly around her neck, gasping for breath. Percy and Annabeth, clutching one another as they fall into endless darkness. The images flashed by quickly, death and pain and despair, one right after the other._

_Then suddenly everything stopped moving._ _He was back to his present-day age. This time he stood alone in a desolate field. But he wasn't really alone. He could feel_ her _all around him, seeping into his bones, rattling him to the core._

_"Give up, Will, or this is the fate your friends will face." Gaea's voice crept into his mind again. "Don't forget, I have complete control. You may have gotten away once, but you'll never stay away from me forever. I will have you back, Will Solace. And anyone who helped you escape will pay with their lives."_

* * *

"Why don't you two just tell me the truth?"

"Which is...?" Nico questioned Reyna.

"That you're developing a massive crush on him, and he probably feels the same way," Nico opened his mouth to protest but Reyna didn't give him a chance to defend himself. "You can't deny it, Nico. "

Nico frowned. "Oh, right, like you can't deny the way you were making cow eyes Claire. And then you stayed up for two straight days thinking about her."

Reyna gaped. "I did not! I was just worried about her, that's all."

" _Right_ ," he teased. "It took you a year to compliment my sword fighting skill, and you were just showering her with praise twelve seconds after she bumped into us - which, by the way, really hurt." He exaggeratedly pouted at her for emphasis.

"I said something about it once. Maybe twice, but that's it! And it's only because I remember how awful she used to be when she first got to camp. She's older than when I last saw her, obviously," Reyna said. "And she's extremely brave, braver than I was when I was her age. She's an amazing fighter. Definitely improved from how she used to be. But-"

" _I was just worried about her, that's all_ ," Nico mimicked, rolling his eyes.

Reyna glowered at him. "Iré a meter mi pie hasta el momento por el culo serás al gusto lo durante una semana."

"I'm going to pretend that was a compliment."

Reyna shook her head and laughed sadly. "What are we even doing here? Talking about feelings and relationships when we have a world to save."

Nico nudged her with his elbow. "Who says we can't do both?"

A strangled cry tore them away from their conversation. Will whimpered loudly in his sleep, tossing and turning. Nico and Reyna were on their feet and at his side immediately.

"Should we wake him up?" Reyna asked.

Nico shook his head. He knelt down and gently pushed the blonde curls from Will's face. At his touch, Will stopped fidgeting and relaxed a bit. After a few more minutes, his dreams ceased entirely and he lay as still and peaceful as ever.

"Wow," Reyna breathed. "How are you doing that?"

"I'm not doing anything special," Nico shrugged. "My mom would hold my hand or hug me close to her and sing me lullabies in Italian when I was little and I had nightmares," He said quietly. "Bianca did it too, when I was a bit older and mom wasn't around. It always helped me calm down. I figured it would work for him too. There's just something soothing about it, the contact combined with the music... That does _not_ mean I'm singing for him," he clarified. "I don't sing. That's his whole deal."

They sat in comfortable silence for a long while after that. Occasionally, Will would start fidgeting in his sleep again and Nico would take his hand and slowly rub circles into the back of it with his thumb. Eventually he resigned to letting Will sleep with his head rested in his lap, which seemed to effectively stop the nightmares altogether.

"You're right," Nico said to Reyna sometime later, after the sun had begun to set and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore reduced to a faint splash.

"About what?" she asked.

"Me. And him," Nico replied simply, gazing down at Will's sleeping face.

Reyna smirked. "Oh, I know. I just wanted you do admit it."

Admitting it out loud wasn't even the strangest part. He'd found it weirder that he'd admitted it to himself so easily. For years, he was in denial about who he was and how he felt towards Percy, and it had taken him so long to open up to someone about it. With Will, it seemed much easier, much more natural.

To think, the confused and naive and insufferably annoying demigod boy he'd met a week ago was actually growing on him to the point where he could honestly say he felt something growing between them. Nico wasn't that same ten-year-old hopelessly idolizing someone who'd never love him the same way. It felt liberating.

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise in the distance. He glanced out onto the dark horizon, where we could just barely see a ship breaking the surface of the otherwise calm waves. Standing at the boy of the ship was a young man whose dark hair was tousled by the wind. The ship was traveling at an insane speed; the ocean seemed to be using every wave it could muster to push the ship, like it was being controlled by another force. Which could only mean one thing:

Percy Jackson had arrived.


	10. Tribuisti Solis, Part 1

After an hour of high-speed sea travel, Will decided he preferred the sensation of plummeting to the earth on Pegasus-back. Both were awful, but at least the incident with Scipio had only lasted a few seconds. This nausea-inducing trip to Long Island would take hours.

He'd woken up confused and disoriented. Scenes of his nightmares were still swimming in his head, and he just barely remembered Nico and Reyna gently shaking him awake - when had they moved so close to him? - and guiding him onto the lower decks of a sailing ship. He'd managed to fall back asleep for a total of five minutes before they set sail again, then he couldn't focus on anything but the wave of nausea coming over him. They were traveling at a speed he would have thought was impossible. But with a son of Poseidon at the helm of the ship, he guessed nothing was really impossible. Far-fetched and absolutely insane, yes, but not impossible.

Glancing around, Will realized he was lying on a bed in a cabin. He could hear footsteps above him, which must have been one of his friends pacing back and forth on the upper deck. He could just barely hear their muffled conversations over the roar of the seawater below him and the pounding in his head.

He shakily made his way to the upper decks, clutching the walls for support. Reyna and Nico stood conversing with Annabeth and a threatening-looking satyr holding a baseball bat at the railings, looking out at sea.

The son of Poseidon was too busy guiding the ship through the oceans, standing at the foremast, all of his concentration centered on the current surrounding them. Tied to the mast hastily with ropes was the gigantic Athena Parthenos. He hadn't even remembered them pulling it aboard. He couldn't think of how they possibly got it up here before he realized Nico probably made the very-short distance shadow-jump to move it, considering it was much too heavy for it to be moved any other way.

Annabeth spotted him and gave him a small smile. She turned to Nico and asked, "So, are you going to introduce us?"

Will suddenly felt very intimidated. He was standing in the presence of two legendary demigods. Sure, Will had become somewhat of an infamous figure too, but Percy and Annabeth actually did something worthwhile to earn their recognition. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nico give him a small, reassuring nod.

He exhaled slowly. "I'm Will. Will Solace."

Annabeth's eyes widened. The flow of the ship seemed to falter slightly as Percy glanced over his shoulder after hearing the name. The satyr, however, smiled, stepped forward and gave Will a rough handshake.

"Apollo's boy!" he boomed. "Glad to finally have a face to match to the title. The name's Gleeson Hedge, demigod protector extraordinaire. I once killed a hydra with just my bare hands and this baseball bat-"

"Coach Hedge, you're scaring him," Annabeth interrupted. "And you know that's not true.

_Coach Hedge_. He'd heard the name before. He'd said it himself, in his nightmare. But that didn't make any sense, he'd just met him. Which meant one of two things: either Gaea was messing with his head even more than he thought possible, or Octavian wasn't too far off on his guess and Will really did have the gift of prophecy. He didn't want to give it too much thought. The very idea of it terrified him. Because if that vision was true, then all of the others could be too...

"It's an honor to meet you, Will," Annabeth continued. "And an even greater honor to be helping take you to Camp Half-Blood." She shook his hand and leaned close to whisper in his ear. "Don't worry about Hedge, he's not so terrifying once you get to know him."

The satyr was the least of Will's worries right now, but he nodded gratefully.

Percy glanced over his shoulder. "I hate to break up the introductions, but there's rough seas ahead. You should all get below decks _now._ " He was gritting his teeth and focusing hard. "I mean it, it's not safe up here."

Nico and Reyna immediately followed Hedge to the lower level. Will was about to walk with them, but he noticed Annabeth's hesitation. She stayed planted where she stood, staring at the back of Percy's head.

"Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?" she called out to him. "If you need to take a break, you can. I'm sure the others will understand if we're a little late. Plus, if it's dangerous for us up here, isn't it dangerous for you too. Especially standing on the foremast like that, you could fall, or if we hit something-"

"I'm fine," he said, giving her a small smile for good measure. "If it gets to be too much I'll stop, I promise."

Annabeth nodded. "Alright," she said, but she didn't exactly look happy about it. "But if you start to feel tired or anything..."

"I'll stop and come get you," Percy said. "I'll be okay."

Annabeth turned to leave and noticed Will eavesdropping on the conversation. He started to back up. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, so that Percy wouldn't know he was still there. "I didn't mean to- I mean, I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong."

Annabeth looked him over once, then shrugged and gestured him to follow her. Together, they walked back to the cabins.

"Nothing was wrong. We weren't arguing or anything, these kinds of things are really common with us. We're really protective of each other. He didn't want me coming along," Annabeth said quietly to Will as they made their way down the stairs. "He wanted me to stay in New York where I'd be safer. But I couldn't just let him go on his own. Besides, it was my job to retrieve the statue and I failed the first time. I wasn't going to sit around and let someone else do the job for me. Not that I don't believe you, Nico, and Reyna aren't capable," she amended. "I just feel like I owe it to myself and to my mother to at least try to fix things and get this quest back on track in whatever way I can."

Will stood in silence, not quite sure what to say.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "We've only just met and I'm already ranting to you about my problems."

"No, don't worry about it," Will said. It was true, that he'd just met her, but through his travels with Nico and Reyna and hearing their stories, he'd developed a strange attachment to the heroes of the prophecy. He had a feeling he'd be good friends with them, had their lives gone on a different path. "It helps to talk about things that are bothering you. No shame in that, right?"

"Right," Annabeth smiled. She stopped outside the door of the cabin that Will had been sleeping in earlier. "You should get some sleep, Will. It'll be morning before we reach camp."

Will nodded and ducked into the room, grateful to be able to sleep on an actual bed for the first time in a week. _It's been a week since I left the tower,_ he thought. He couldn't be sure exactly what time it was, but if it was past midnight, that meant it was Will's birthday. Dread washed over him. He had, at most, twenty-four hours of peace.

He slept as much as he possibly could with the seasickness and the intrusive thoughts disturbing him. He'd toss and turn all night, barely closing his eyes before jolting awake again with scary visions swimming in his head. Gaea's visits had left him paranoid and jittery, and even after she'd left his mind, the images of death and destruction still kept appearing.

Sometime right before sunrise, he decided attempting to sleep was futile. He walked back up onto the upper decks to find Percy and Nico deep in conversation.

Percy looked much more relaxed than he did the night before, no longer struggling to push the ship through the raging waves. He still stood at the foremast, but he was only partially concentrated on his work. The sea in front of them stood calm and the ship cut through the water with ease.

Nico sat crossed-legged to Percy's right, saying something Will couldn't quite hear. Whatever it was, it must have been funny, since Percy laughed and smiled widely. Will felt a twinge of jealousy, which he forced down as he approached the other two boys.

_Percy doesn't feel like that towards him_ , he thought. _He's just being friendly. There's nothing to be jealous about._

He tried to sneak back downstairs before either of them noticed him, but Nico looked up at the last second and caught him.

"Hey you," Nico said, waving him over. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks," he muttered, taking a seat next to Nico.

Percy kept his eyes on the sea in front of him, but acknowledged Will with a small head nod. "Happy birthday, dude. Sorry I didn't get to talk last night. I was kind of busy, you know. But Nico here was just telling me all about you. He's been talking for hours actually. It's been _really interesting_." He rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Jackson," Nico snapped.

"Anyway," Percy said, ignoring him. "We should be reaching Long Island Sound in about three hours. I can't wait for you to see Camp Half-Blood."

"I'm looking forward to it," Will said. Yes, he was nervous about today, but he also couldn't wait to finally see the place he'd been hearing so much about.

Earlier he'd taken a peek into the dining area of the ship on his way up to the upper deck and had noticed video screens showing a view of what he assumed to be Camp Half-Blood. Though it was still too early in the morning to provide any light, he could still make out large fields of strawberries with tall buildings - an arena and cabins and an amphitheater and more - in the background.

He could only imagine what it looked like during the day, with campers decked out in armor and gear socializing and training together. Dozens, even hundreds, of kids just like him. It seemed perfect.

Coach Hedge, Reyna and Annabeth joined them on the upper decks a short while later, Annabeth carrying a large tray while Reyna trailed after her, slowly sipping from a large mug. "Coffee," Reyna muttered, "how I've missed you so."

"Morning everyone!" Annabeth said, sitting cross-legged in front of Will and placing the tray down in front of him. "I hope you're not allergic to dairy. Happy birthday."

Will suppressed a groan. He really wished he had a polite way to tell everyone to shut up about his birthday. But he'd have to get used to everyone making a huge deal out of today, no matter how much he hated it. However, when she lifted the lid off the tray to reveal a mountain of whipped cream-covered chocolate chip waffles, all was forgiven. Will picked up the fork and hesitantly tried it, sighing contentedly at the sweet taste.

Annabeth laughed. "I would have added even more whipped cream if I knew you liked it so much."

"I've never had it before now," Will admitted. "But I love it. Thank you."

Percy pouted. "I want birthday waffles," he whined jokingly.

"There's more in the kitchen. Besides your birthday isn't until August, you should wait your turn," Annabeth stuck her tongue out at him.

The remainder of their trip was spent feasting on waffles and coffee, chatting about the next step they'd take. They'd all agreed on letting Will have a day of rest on his birthday - which he wanted to argue against, but no one would listen. Will would have preferred to completely ignore this entire day and let Percy and Annabeth move on with their quest right away.

"Hey," Percy shrugged. "We've delayed the quest three years, what harm is one more day going to do?"

Will locked eyes with Nico, who thankfully kept quiet. Will didn't want the others worrying about his prophecy, and Nico had promised to keep it a secret.

After the summer solstice was over, Percy and Annabeth planned on venturing back to Europe to retrieve Hazel, Frank, and Piper. From there, the Seven planned on finding a way to close the doors of death and - hopefully - ridding the world of Gaea's evil and helping the Gods recover from their split personality crises.

As for Will, well, he wasn't sure exactly what he'd do from here. After today his huge adventure would be over. He didn't have any more prophecies or important events guiding him. He could settle down at Camp Half-Blood or somewhere else in America. Everyone else would move on with more important adventures. Part of him would actually miss the excitement and danger.

Before they'd even noticed how quickly the time was passing, Percy was announcing their arrival in New York. They had made it.

Percy stood at the foremast, guiding the ship to a dock jutting out from the beach.

Standing on the dock were two boys about Percy's age. One was tall with tousled blonde hair - whether it was from sleep or the wind, Will couldn't be sure. The other boy was shorter with dark curly hair, and he was bouncing up and down and waving excitedly as Percy maneuvered the ship.

"I hope you kept your word, Jackson!" the shorter boy yelled.

Percy laughed. "Don't worry Leo, there's not a scratch on her, I promise!"

Ten minutes later, after the anchor had been dropped and the gangplank had been lowered, the five demigods and Coach Hedge disembarked from the ship.

Leo rushed past all of them and ran up to the ship, pressing his face against the side of it and stroking a hand against the metal affectionately. "My baby, I've missed you so much," he sighed.

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Typical," she said. "He still cares more about mechanics than he does about actual people."

Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw Percy and the blonde boy high-five. "That's probably the fastest trip you've ever made, Jackson, I'm impressed."

"Don't hold your breath just yet, Jason, you haven't seen my full potential," Percy gloated.

Reyna cleared her throat, which effectively pulled the boys out of their playful banter. The blonde boy - Jason - stopped and stared at her for a moment before opening his arms wide for a hug, which Reyna gladly accepted.

She had a small, sad smile on her face. "Man, Piper's going to be jealous when she hears about this."

"Piper?" Jason's head perked up. "You've talked to her?"

"We stayed with her for a little while. She's doing well," Reyna said, pulling out of his embrace. "Oh, and she said something about telling you she loves you or whatever. Something really sappy like that."

Jason smiled and pulled Reyna back in for another hug. "Thank you," he sighed quietly.

Leo, on the other hand, didn't appreciate the gesture. He made fake gagging noises behind their backs. "I hate to break up the Roman love fest going on here," he said, pulling Jason away from Reyna. "Actually, no, I don't. We have business to take care of."

"And what business is that?" Jason asked. "The Athena Parthenos? I'm sure everyone will be happy to see it returned. We've got to get it down somehow though-"

"No, not the _statue_. Miss Marble Face can wait. I meant our newest guest!" Leo gestured to Will. "Dude's been gone for eighteen years. We've got to celebrate."

Jason, Reyna, Nico, Percy and Annabeth all groaned and shook their heads, which made Will feel like he was missing out on something. He hadn't remembered introducing himself, either.

"I iris-messaged Camp early this morning and informed them of your arrival," Annabeth told Will, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Sorry I didn't warn you, but I figured I'd tell Leo ahead of time so he wouldn't scare you. He can be a bit... inappropriate."

Leo held a hand to his heart, feigning offense. "Why, Annabeth, I would never. I can't believe you'd accuse me of such things. Sure, I occasionally play pranks on the counselors and blame it on the younger campers or sneak pyrotechnics into the nightly campfires, but everything I do is all in good fun!"

Coach Hedge waved his baseball bat in protest. "Watch it Valdez," he said. "I don't want any of your shenanigans-"

"Oh, come on!" Leo walked over to Will. "It's his eighteenth birthday. And people were going to celebrate anyway. As soon as Percy told us he was off to retrieve Nico and Reyna I started putting together all of my best reunion party plans, but now that you're here, I say we make it an even bigger occasion. What do you think?"

Leo clapped Will hard on the back and he flinched.

"Dude," Leo said. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Will said a little too quickly. "I'm fine. And a party sounds great."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Nico giving him a skeptical look, which he ignored.

"This'll be even greater than the Fourth of July party," Leo grinned, rubbing his hands together devilishly. "Do you like fireworks, Will?"

"I have no idea what those are," Will admitted sheepishly.

"Oh man, just you wait. Allow me to give you a tour," Leo hooked an arm around Will's, effectively dragging him away from Nico and Reyna, leading him down the beach and using his free hand to gesture towards the sky. Will tried to protest but was ignored while Leo's eyes lit up with excitement as he babbled. "Just imagine it, chemicals and flames exploding in the sky in hundreds of different shapes and colors. Kids wait in anticipation all year for the Fourth of July fireworks, but I bet this will be ten times better. It'll be a new tradition! Just leave it to me, after tonight, all the campers will be calling this the highlight of their summer."

"It's definitely the highlight of mine," Will muttered. He took one glance back at his companions, who all seemed to be very amused. He assumed this wasn't the first time Leo did something like this.

As Leo dramatically announced his plans for the evening, he led Will on a short tour of the camp. The strawberry fields Will had seen earlier in the video projections looked even more massive in person - hundreds of red berries glistening with early-morning dewdrops. Standing among the bushes were groups of satyrs playing reed pipes, encouraging the plants to grow.

Horses and pegasi whinnied at them from the stables, and as they passed the arena, Will could hear the sounds of swords clashing, no doubt demigods getting in some early-morning training. To think, soon he could be out there with them, learning how to properly fight and defend himself. The thought made his heart swell.

Their tour ended at a semicircle of cabins. "Of course we'll need music," Leo was still rambling on. "It's not a party without some music and dancing. And I know the perfect people for it. I'll have to warn you, though, your brothers and sisters here are a bit difficult to get used to."

_Brothers and sisters_. He'd never given much thought to all of the other demigod children Apollo had. Any one of them could have been the child of the prophecy, he realized. Apollo could have blessed any one of them. But he chose Will.

"What do you mean by that?" Will asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Leo said, stopping at the front doors of a gold-colored cabin. Will could hear muffled music from inside, a strange combination of what seemed to be dozens of clashing instruments and voices.

Leo pushed the door open and the entire cabin went still and silent. Dozens of blue-eyed blonde kids stared back at him. Most were still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes and in their pajamas.

"Dad claimed another one?" a girl asked. She sat on the lower bunk of a bed, her hand tangled up in her hair mid-braid.

"Not exactly," Leo stepped inside and gestured for Will to follow. He took a hesitant step over the threshold, feeling the gazes of his siblings boring into him. "May I present to you Will Solace. I'm sure the name rings a bell."

At once he was swamped with questions. He could just barely pick out a few from the dozens of voices yelling at him. _"Where have you been all this time?" "Does dad know you've been found yet?" "Can you show us how your powers work?" "So Gaea really did lock you away your whole life?" "Is it true you can heal anything?"_

"Europe, no, maybe later, yes, and I'm not sure," Will said. "So you're all Apollo's kids?" Glancing around the room, he noticed none of them were his same age. They were all at least a couple years younger than him, the oldest being maybe fifteen and the rest of them looking even younger. At first Will thought it was just because the camp was for younger kids, but then he realized it might be because Apollo didn't have many kids around the time he had Will.

The thought was oddly comforting.

"Yeah," the girl with the braids said. She began to introduce everyone in the room, rattling off about two dozen names that Will would never remember. "...and I'm Kayla. I'm head counselor for Cabin 7. We have a couple of extra bunks if you want to start setting up your personal space."

Before Will could thank her for the gesture, Leo stepped forward and held up a hand, silencing them. "As much as I'd love to have a nice little family reunion right now, we have more important matters to take care of. Do you guys think you can put together a little something for a party tonight?"

"This isn't going to be like the last party you threw, is it?" a boy piped up from the back of the room. "Because if I have to deal with another cabin prank war breaking out I'm going to lose it -"

"We've got it covered, Leo," Kayla interrupted.

Leo rubbed his hands together fiendishly. "Excellent," he muttered, grinning from ear to ear. "Now that that's taken care of, we've got to talk food. I can convince the nymphs to cook up something special, and I'm sure a couple Hermes kids won't mind getting stuff from the nearest convenience store. Let's go talk to them."

"Mind if I interrupt this little tour?"

The entire room went silent. Will and Leo turned to see Nico standing behind them, arms folded across his chest.

A couple of the Apollo kids pretended to be distracted by something or awkwardly coughed into their fists, looking anywhere but at Nico. Others stared at him, wide-eyed, as if he were some odd spectacle. He sighed exasperatedly and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Will, I want to introduce you to Chiron. We need to let him know you're here."

Will hesitated before following. "Go ahead," Leo told him. "I'll take care of the plans, you just go ahead and get settled."

Will nodded gratefully, glad to have an excuse to leave. He appreciated everyone's kind gestures, but the unnecessary attention was getting more annoying every second. He was also glad to be back with Nico. Not that he didn't like Leo or his siblings, he was sure he'd be friends with them eventually, but he'd just become so comfortable in Nico's presence that being without him for any extended period of time felt strange, especially in an unfamiliar place like Camp Half-Blood.

"What was that back there?" he asked after a few minutes of walking in silence with Nico. "Everyone seemed fine before you showed up. What's wrong with them?"

"I guess they weren't expecting me to ever come back," Nico said. "Like I've told you, I was never really accepted here. They didn't like me before, and when demigods vanish without a trace and stay missing, everyone assumes they're either a traitor or dead, so I wasn't expecting the warmest welcome. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not going to let anyone here treat you badly," Will argued. "Once they know we returned the Athena Parthenos and you're helping end the war I'm sure they'll stop being so hostile. Especially the Apollo kids. They're my siblings, I'm sure they'll listen to me if I say something."

"Don't worry about me, are _you_ okay?" Nico asked. "You've seemed a little on edge lately."

"Actually, no," Will admitted. "Not really."

"Is it because of the festival? Because you really don't have to be nervous. I'll tell Leo to tone it down if it's making you uncomfortable-"

"No, no it's not that." Will sighed. With all this talk about ending wars and happy reunions, he hated to ruin everyone's optimism, but he figured it was now or never, and he had to say something. "Gaea has been talking to me."

Nico's eyes widened. "What? When?"

"In my dreams. And at the campfire the other night, after you fell asleep."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Nico touched Will's shoulder and he flinched again. Any other time he would have gladly welcomed Nico's comfort, but now any kind of physical contact scared him.

"I was afraid that she'd hurt you. All of you, here at camp," he corrected after realizing how that sounded.

"Has she done anything other than talked to you?" Nico asked.

"No." _Not yet_ , Will thought.

By now they'd reached their destination. The tall blue building stood over them, and sitting on the porch was a man in a wheelchair. He sat unmoving, staring at the two boys with a slight frown on his face. Noticing the man, Nico bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Chiron," he said. "Sorry to drop in without warning, but-"

"Nico di Angelo," Chiron said, standing. The blanket on his lap fell away to reveal his bottom half - the hooves and body of a white stallion. He nodded in Nico's direction. "Welcome back. I'm glad to see you've returned. And who is this?"

Will bowed his head respectfully. "Will Solace, sir. Son of Apollo."

Chiron looked Will up and down, which made Will feel very self-conscious. If Chiron was at all surprised, it didn't show on his face. He turned and began walking inside the building. "Follow me," he said. "We have much to discuss."


	11. Tribuisti Solis, Part 2

"Sit down here," Chiron said, gesturing to the chair in front of him.

Will took a tentative look around the room. Nico stayed close by his side as they walked into the main room of the Big House. Already seated around an old game table were numerous other people. One was a satyr, though much younger looking than coach hedge. Next to him were two young men who were nearly identical chatting animatedly to each other, and next to them sat a threatening-looking young woman lounging with her feet on top of the table. Next to her - Will's breath caught in his throat once he recognized her - was the girl from his nightmare. He glanced around at the other faces in the room looking for the boy who'd been there with them in the dream, but didn't see him.

So Will's arrival wasn't a surprise, as he thought it was. They had been expecting him. Will sat down, feeling as though everyone's eyes were boring into him. Nico took the seat directly to his right.

"I was informed of your arrival and called a small meeting to discuss the... current matters at hand," Chiron said slowly. "I hope you don't mind participating on such short notice."

Nico frowned, glancing around at each person in the room and taking them in. "I don't mean to offend, Chiron, but don't you usually invite all of the head counselors to meetings like this? Why aren't the others here?"

"We needed unbiased opinions," the tough girl grunted. "The other counselors can't really be trusted with deciding what to do with you."

The satyr next to her bleated angrily. "Percy and Annabeth and the others are plenty trustworthy, Clarisse. Just because they're friends with Nico-"

"Grover, Clarisse, now is not the time for arguing," Chiron interrupted. "William Solace, allow me to introduce you to our head protector Grover Underwood and head counselor for Ares cabin, Clarisse La Rue."

Will nodded politely at them. Clarisse gave him a once over and the stern look on her face relaxed a bit.

Chiron gestured to the two brothers, making his way around the table introducing everyone. "Travis and Connor Stoll, head counselors for Hermes cabin; Lou Ellen, head counselor for Hecate cabin; Katie Gardner, head of Demeter cabin; Clovis, head of Hypnos cabin; Butch Walker, head of Iris cabin; and Pollux, head of Dionysus cabin."

"Um," Will said, "aren't you all pretty old to still be at camp? No offense."

"None taken," the girl from his nightmare - Lou Ellen - said. "Usually demigods our age have left camp and gone out to live in the real world on their own, but with everything going on, it's too dangerous for us to leave."

"What about Apollo cabin?" Will asked. "Shouldn't Kayla be here too?" He surprised himself by even thinking about her, let alone being concerned about her absence.

"Again, we want the opinions of the topics we discuss to be as unbiased as possible," Chiron said apologetically. "It wouldn't be fair to have any of your siblings here."

Clarisse groaned and tilted further back in her chair. "If we want unbiased opinions, why is _he_ here?" she gave Nico a pointed glare.

"I saved his life and me and Reyna are the only reason he even made it this far," Nico sneered. "I didn't see you out there navigating across Europe trying to help anyone. I _earned_ my spot at this table."

"Enough," Chiron said, scarily calm and quiet. Everyone at the table fell silent, Grover and Nico still glaring daggers at Clarisse.

Will tried to stop the small smile he could feel spreading on his face. The way Nico had talk about wanting to help him, to save him, gave him an odd fluttery feeling in his chest. He wanted to reach out and take Nico's hand, but he realized how odd that would look to everyone else, not to mention it wouldn't exactly help Nico's defense of being unbiased.

He settled for nudging Nico with his elbow to catch his attention and giving him a small smile. He wasn't expecting him to return the smile, which only made the fluttering in his chest spiral further out of control.

"Will," Chiron called, which effectively brought Will back to the attention of the conversation. "I need to ask you a few questions."

"I'm ready when you are," Will said, hoping his voice didn't sound as shaky as he thought it did. The way everyone in the room watched him intimidated him almost as much as Octavian did.

"Do you remember anything of your early childhood? Of your mother?"

"No," Will said, frowning. He'd tried his hardest to try to make some memory of his mother surface to no avail. He was just too young to remember. He'd only just learned her name, and besides that, he knew absolutely nothing. "My earliest memory was when I was about three or four and grandmo- when Gaea got mad at me for drawing on the walls. I had already been living with her in the tower for pretty much my entire life."

"While you were traveling with Nico and Reyna, there was no association with Rome or Camp Jupiter at all?"

Speaking of Octavian. "We had a few run-ins with them. They captured me at one point, but we managed to overtake them and I escaped-"

One of the Stoll brothers, Will couldn't tell which, let out an impressed whistle under his breath.

"With help, of course," Will amended. "Nico and Reyna fought alongside me, and so did a Roman girl who was on Reyna's side and against Gaea and Camp Jupiter's ruling. They're not all bad people."

"What was this girl's name?" Chiron asked.

"Claire Hathaway," Nico answered for him. "Chiron, if it's not too much trouble, once all of this is over and if you decide that we're all innocent, could we issue a quest to rescue her and the others who are still trapped in Europe under Gaea and Camp Jupiter's threats? Reyna and I would really appreciate it."

Will figured that Nico was probably thinking more about Hazel, Frank, and Piper when he proposed this idea. Will also figured that, even if Chiron said no, Nico would have no problem going against his wishes and traveling back for his sister and his friends.

"I'll consider it," said Chiron after a long pause.

He paced around the room as he asked Will a seemingly endless amount questions, most of which were simple "yes" or "no" answers. Occasionally, one of the head counselors would interrupt with their own comments or inquiries.

The question that Lou Ellen asked was the most surprising. "Has your dad ever come looking for you, Will?" she leaned into the conversation, her elbows on the table and her eyes alight with curiosity.

"I like to think he did," Will said, though he couldn't really be sure. Ever since he figured out the truth, he'd always had the constant mindset that Apollo had been looking on every corner of the earth for him. "I thought the only reason why I've been gone for so long was because I was impossible to trace."

"That may very well be true. Gaea's magic is still very unfamiliar and powerful, and we don't have a clear understanding of everything she's capable of just yet. Your father has been here multiple times throughout the years, hoping that you'd somehow made your way here," said Chiron. "I'd contact Mount Olympus now and inform him of your arrival, but the Gods are busy at their summer solstice counsel."

"You'll tell him as soon as you can, won't you?" Will asked. He was practically bouncing out of his seat and probably sounded way too overexcited, but he didn't care. After hearing all about his father over the past few days, he didn't want to wait another second before finally meeting him.

"That may not be the best idea, Will. Apollo is still shunned by some of the other Gods because of his bestowing of his healing gift to you. Apollo made you Gaea's target without intending it," Chiron said. "His actions were performed out of love, but they held potentially catastrophic consequences. You now play a crucial part in the second Great Prophecy, which was a factor no one could have accounted for. Had it not been for you and the power Gaea gained from having you, the Prophecy may have been fulfilled by now and she could have been destroyed."

Will stayed silent. He knew he shouldn't blame himself, but he couldn't help but think of all of the times he'd healed Gaea when she'd come home after a particularly bad day, bruised and battered and weak from whatever she'd been up to outside of those tower walls. His mind flashed back to each time he sang his incantation and gave away his power and strength to aid the enemy without even knowing it.

Gaea had murdered Leo and Hazel's mothers, and possibly hundred or thousands of others since them, and Will could have been empowering her all this time, allowing her to cause more damage than ever.

"That's not Will's fault," Lou Ellen chimed in. "Victim blaming isn't going to get us anywhere."

"I agree," both Stoll brothers said at the same time. The taller one - Will guessed it was Travis - continued. "We all forgave Luke when Kronos took over. And that was partially Luke's fault, since he decided to turn against the Gods. Will here didn't do anything to cause this."

Grover, Katie Gardner and Clovis all spoke up on his behalf as well, adding their side of the story and expressing their opinions of how Will shouldn't have to take the blame.

Chiron listened to everyone's defenses, nodding slowly. After another long, stressful pause, he calmly asked, "All those for allowing Will Solace to stay at Camp Half-Blood?"

Nico, Lou Ellen and Grover's hands immediately shot into the air. Will sighed gratefully when Chiron also raised his hand, followed by both Stoll brothers and Katie Gardner. One by one, the other campers around the table raised their hands.

Clarisse was the only one left with her hand down. She looked around the table and groaned. "Fine," she raised her hand reluctantly. "But don't think this means I want you or the Romans or death boy here. I trust you, that doesn't mean I have to like it."

* * *

When Leo said that the party would be the highlight of everyone's summer, he wasn't kidding.

Will walked to the dining pavilion with Nico shortly after the meeting ended, grateful to be back outside in the fresh air and able to relax for a little while before today's events really got started. They took exactly three steps before running into a maze of balloons and streamers covering every inch of space around the campfire.

Leo came zipping by with his arms full of various dangerous-looking objects, barking orders at everyone within a hundred foot radius.

"I need more confetti! And sparklers!" he called to no one in particular. "Reyna, make yourself useful and go check and see if the nymphs have started on the food yet."

Reyna sat at one of the tables, lounging lazily and staring at Leo incredulously. "I know you didn't just tell me to _make myself useful_ , Valdez."

Leo gulped. "Nope, I didn't say anything. Must have been a figment of your imagination."

" _Right_ ," Reyna said slowly. "And if I imagine you saying something like that to me again, my foot will get shoved so far down your throat you'll never be able to speak again. Understood?" She grinned.

"Crystal clear," Leo slowly backed away, bumping into a table full of fireworks, setting off a few small, colorful smoke bombs and covering the air of the dining pavilion in bright pastel dust.

On the other side of the campfire, Annabeth, Percy, and Jason were staring down at the Athena Parthenos, which lay on its side in the grass. Annabeth smile and rolled her eyes at the boys, who seemed to be arguing over whose fault it was that the statue had fallen over.

While they bickered, Annabeth turned and called into the woods. At once, dozens of wood nymphs emerged. Together, using the branches and roots from their trees and bushes, the nymphs helped sit the statue right-side-up again.

Closer to the fire, few of Will's siblings had set up various instruments and were practicing playing. Kayla sat at the front of the group strumming the guitar in her hands, counting out loud and keeping tempo of the song. It wasn't anything Will recognized, but it had a nice beat to it. A few other campers were listening and singing along or dancing with one another.

Will glanced over at Nico, but Nico wasn't paying attention to the Apollo kids at all. He was watching the Aphrodite kids a few tables over paint dozens of banners bright gold and string them across every visible surface.

"People are doing this all over the world, you know? Celebrating you and Apollo." Nico said quietly. "When Reyna and I first got the statue, there were banners like that hanging on every building in Rome. And I didn't even know or care why they were there. Weird how quickly that changed, huh?"

"It's strange to think about," Will admitted. "How in just a few days everything's become totally different."

Nico nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but then changed his mind and snapped his mouth shut.

"What?" Will asked.

"I was just going to say . . ." Nico began, then he frowned and looked away. "Never mind. It's not important."

It probably was really important, but Will wouldn't find out what it was he was about to say, because just then Reyna called Nico away. She stood a few feet away, waving Nico toward her, and whatever it was she needed to say, it seemed pretty important.

"I'll be right back," Nico said.

"Don't rush," Will said. "I'll see you at the party. Maybe I'll go exploring around camp. I'd like to check out the stables. And the infirmary. It's inside the big house, right?"

"Right," Nico said. "I'll see you later."

Then Nico walked towards the cabins with Reyna, leaving Will alone.

* * *

"If I have to watch you two dance around your feelings any longer I'm going to lose it."

Nico and Reyna sat inside Hades cabin. Nico hadn't stepped foot inside since it was first built after the Titan war. Now that he was inside, talking with Reyna while sitting on the edge of the bed, he realized just how gloomy and dark it was inside. He hadn't remembered it being so depressing before.

"What are you talking about?" Nico asked.

Reyna folded her arms over her chest. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Nico, you told me how you felt about him. After today we'll all be going our separate ways. I'm not staying here, and I know you probably don't want to either. This might be your last chance to let him know the truth."

"Why should I?" asked Nico.

"Because he makes you happy," Reyna said simply. "I haven't seen you genuinely happy _ever_. This is a good thing for you, Nico. You deserve the happiness that I see when you're with him."

Happiness had become a foreign concept to Nico. Ever since Bianca died. Ever since he realized he was a child of Hades. Ever since he knew Percy would never love him back. Ever since the incident at Camp Jupiter where he thought he'd lost Hazel forever, only to have to leave her behind again. He didn't think he was capable of being happy again.

But the way he didn't have the fight the smile that spread across his face when Will was allowed to stay made him second-guess himself. He had been smiling a lot more lately. Despite the fact that they were getting attacked and constantly on the run and fearing their lives at every waking moment, he'd found the time to smile. And every single time it had happened, it had been because of Will.

"So are you going to do something about it?" Reyna asked.

Nico sighed. "I'll think about it."

* * *

The party was in full swing. And Will was nowhere to be found.

He hadn't been lying earlier about seeing the stables and the infirmary. He'd even helped out a little bit in the infirmary, fetching bandages and antiseptic for a couple of kids who'd gotten minor injuries while setting up the bonfire. He'd ducked away about an hour ago, making an excuse about fixing up his bunk in Apollo cabin.

In reality, he'd gone into the forest for a moment of silence. People had warned him of the monsters and other potential dangers that lurked here, but he couldn't be bothered to care about them right now. Besides, he was close enough to the border of the forest that he could still hear the music and conversations from the party. He needed to be alone with his thoughts.

As the day faded into night, Will's anxieties grew. The quicker time passed, the sooner they'd all be facing certain doom. He'd tried his hardest to enjoy his birthday, but with the threat looming over his head, it was impossible.

_A loss most wrong to set things right . . ._

The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. Things were going great, and no one else was afraid, which worried him. Gaea was coming for him, and there was no doubt she'd destroy everything in her path. Any minute now, it seemed, the world would fall apart. Like the calm before a storm that could wipe out everything that he loved.

"Aren't you a bit lonely out here?"

Will whirled around to see Nico melting out of the shadows and striding towards him.

"I was just - I mean, you weren't... thought you weren't supposed to shadow travel anymore," Will said stupidly. Getting caught off guard hiding from his own birthday party was embarrassing enough, but Nico being the one who found him only made it about a thousand times worse.

"I didn't shadow travel," Nico said. "I just blend into the darkness sometimes."

Will didn't know what to say. He stayed completely still and silent as Nico walked closer to him, his face illuminated by the moonlight.

"I'm guessing you weren't having much fun out there," Nico gestured toward the party, where the music still roared and every demigod in camp snacked and drank and danced. "Parties aren't really my thing, either."

Will hadn't even been out to see what had been happening at the party. It didn't seem like anyone had noticed him missing other than Nico, since he could hear cheering and loud conversation. His birthday celebration, Apollo's sacred festival, was going on without him. All because his mind kept wandering to dark places and refusing to let him focus on anything good.

"It's not the party," Will said. "It's _her_. I can't help but be terrified about what she's going to do to everyone here."

Will didn't even need to say her name, Nico understood. "Don't worry about all of that right now. Enjoy the night. Do something to take your mind off Gaea for a while."

Will shrugged. "I can't think of anything to distract me."

"Dance with me," Nico said quietly, holding out his hand. Will almost laughed, until he saw how serious Nico's face was. "Everyone else out there is doing it, and they all seem to be pretty happy right now."

Will glanced down at Nico's outstretched hand, then back into his eyes. He slowly reached out and took Nico's hand, surprised that he didn't flinch at the contact the way he'd been doing all day.

"I've never danced with anyone," Will admitted, taking a step backwards.

Nico gently tugged his hand, pulling Will closer. His breath hitched in his throat, which he hoped wasn't loud enough for Nico to notice. "I figured that," Nico said. "And neither have I. So we can learn together."

And learn together they did. Both boys took small, hesitant steps at first, getting used to the feeling of having a partner to move with. Time seemed to slow down.

The music and people around them faded even further into the background. They were alone, with only the sound of their breathing and their footsteps and the loud beating of Will's heart drowning out everything around him.

By now his thoughts had strayed far away from Gaea and the prophecy. Nico was the only person he could focus on, not that that was a bad thing at all. On the contrary, at that moment, staring down into the younger boy's eyes, their hands intertwined, he couldn't be happier.

All his life, he'd read the stories of how a dashing Prince Charming would rescue a princess from imprisonment and they'd fall in love, changing both of their lives for the better. And though he was no princess in need of rescue and Nico was no prince, and what he was feeling couldn't exactly be called love quite yet, something had definitely changed between them. Will could feel it, and he couldn't help but wonder if Nico had felt it too.

He'd been holding back these thoughts for days. There had been more important things to worry about, and he'd tried his hardest to ignore it when his thoughts strayed to Nico di Angelo. But now they were alone and slow dancing together and they were pressed so close together Will could practically hear the other boy's heart beat in time with his and . . .

"Nico," Will began hesitantly. "What was it that you were going to say earlier?"

Nico was silent for a long time, as if he were thinking about how to answer the question correctly. He seemed to be deep in thought.

After a long pause, he finally spoke up. "I was going to say," Nico said slowly, quietly, "that I'm really glad I met you. I've been alone for years. I know that you know exactly how that feels. And besides Reyna, I haven't had anyone who I really cared about. I lost my sister Bianca, I lost Percy, and for a while I lost Hazel too. I was almost completely alone. And then I met you and that changed."

Something changed in his dark eyes. They usually seemed distant and unfocused, but at this moment, they seemed completely concentrated on Will. That was the moment that Will knew he didn't have to wonder anymore. The way they looked at each other, there was no doubt about it, Nico had definitely felt that change too.

"At first I wasn't really happy to have you along, I think we both knew that," Nico continued. They'd stopped moving, but their fingers were still locked. "But over time, that changed. You were just so bright and positive and you just brought this aura of happiness and light everywhere you went. And I guess it kind of affected me."

They stood in silence after that, their eyes locked, their faces only inches apart. For a moment, Will let himself believe Nico was about to kiss him. But then Nico pulled away and stared down at his feet.

"No," Nico said. "I shouldn't have . . . I'm crossing a boundary here. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Will whispered.

Will thought he'd spoken quietly enough so that Nico wouldn't hear him. But he'd underestimated just how silent it was in the forest. Listening closely, he realized the music had died out at the party. Which only made the sound of twigs snapping under Nico's feet as he stepped closer even louder.

A shout of his name made Will jump away from Nico faster than he could blink. Reyna appeared through the trees a few seconds later, sighing in relief. "There you two are. I thought you'd disappeared."

Will and Nico stayed silent, Will looking anywhere but at Nico and hoping his embarrassment didn't show on his face. Nico, on the other hand, was glaring at Reyna. She only seemed to notice she'd interrupted something when she noticed the looks on both of their faces.

She smiled sheepishly, probably thinking that she'd apologize later at a more appropriate time. "We can't start dinner without our guest of honor, can we? Come on, everyone's waiting."


	12. Tribuisti Solis, Part 3

Nico, Will, and Reyna had taken their seats at a table alongside Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Leo. Other than a few stares when they'd first arrived, no one seemed to notice their extended absence, which Will was grateful for.

The evening's dinner commenced at once. Nymphs floated around the tables, filling plated to the brim with delicious meats and breads. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw campers speaking to their goblets, filling them with various drinks. He filled his with apple cider, then tea, then water. Then, just to experiment, he asked the goblet to turn the water bright gold. The color changed before his eyes and brought him an odd sense of comfort.

"Dude," Percy nudged him with his elbow. "I did the exact same thing when I first got here. It's awesome, right?"

Nico and Reyna spoke in hushed conversation, and Will couldn't help but wonder if they were talking about what she'd walked upon in the forest a few minutes ago. His face burned at the thought of it.

All around them, kids were still basking in the evening's happy lighthearted air, chatting animatedly and setting off sparklers and party poppers. They only quieted down when the sound of silverware clinking against a glass sounded from the head table.

"A toast," said Chiron, raising his glass, "to Nico di Angelo and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, the brave heroes who not only returned The Athena Parthenos to it's rightful resting place, but also found the lost Son of Apollo and brought him home."

Will applauded along with Percy and the others sitting at the table with him, but they seemed to be the only ones who actually seemed proud. A few other campers seated around the campfire gave a quiet, polite applause. Majority of them, though, sat in stoic silence.

"Let's give our guests a warmer welcome than that, shall we?" Chiron tried again to no avail. Majority of the campers still refused to give even the slightest of praise, turning their cheeks and ignoring Chiron completely.

"What's wrong with them?" Will whispered to Nico.

Nico stared down at his plate. "I guess I was wrong about them accepting me again once I returned."

Even Clarisse La Rue, who sat at the head table with Chiron, looked unhappy. Maybe it was just her neutral expression, but something told Will that she might have actually been angry. Grover, who sat to Chiron's other side, glanced around cautiously, making eye contact with Percy and shaking his head.

"That's not right," Will said, a bit louder this time. A couple of his siblings from Apollo cabin pointed and stared. "They should all be thanking you."

"Well they aren't," Nico whispered. "Forget it, after tonight we can forget any of this happened and just move on."

"No!" Will nearly shouted. Dozens of heads turned in their direction. Kids began muttering under their breath. After hearing everything Nico had told him about how hard it was to achieve happiness, he was absolutely appalled. Nico had lost everything and he'd come all this way only to be met with angry looks and accusations of being a traitor. The warm, happy feeling in his chest grew burning and angry. "No one should just forget about this. I'll bet none of these kids have ever fought as bravely as you and Reyna did this past week."

The tips of Nico's ears grew bright red. "Will, please stop. I really appreciate it, but-"

"Besides Annabeth and the others who are part of the great prophecy, I'll bet none of the people here have ever left this camp, let alone traveled across the world on a dangerous quest. None of them have ever risked their lives to protect this place."

Everyone was staring in his direction now. Chiron had an eyebrow raised, but didn't interrupt. Will stood and continued, addressing everyone.

"Did any of you think that this war would just end itself? The only reason why the Romans haven't attacked you yet is because they've been too busy searching for me. And if it weren't for Nico and Reyna, they would have captured me then immediately come here to burn this place to the ground. Reyna and Nico risked everything to bring me and the statue here so they could end the terror that's been raging for three years right outside of the barriers of this camp."

"Will is right," Jason stood and walked over to him. "I've been here for three years and I still see the way some of you look at me, as if I'm a traitor or I'm evil just because I'm Roman."

Will nodded, grateful for the support. "Don't you understand that this is exactly why we're still at war? Because we can't put aside our differences and work together to defeat a common enemy. You'd all rather treat Nico and Reyna as traitors than accept the fact that they did something great and put us one step closer to winning.

And if this is what the people at this camp are like, then I'd rather be back with Gaea."

At once, the ground began trembling under their feet. Plates and goblets were knocked from the tables as campers stumbled from their seats, unable to keep their balance. The fire was snuffed out by a powerful wind that swept over the entire mess hall.

"Be careful what you wish for," Gaea's voice hissed from all around them.

Nico was on his feet and at Will's side immediately, his sword in hand. A moment later, Reyna, Jason, Percy, and Annabeth unsheathed their weapons and formed a defensive circle around Will. Leo stood atop the table, his fists aflame. But Gaea was nowhere to be seen.

Clarisse La Rue and Grover Underwood stood at Chiron's side, the three of them searching for a target. Chiron was armed with a dangerous looking bow and arrow, while Grover clutched his reed pipes in his hands and Clarisse, though unarmed, looked like she could take any enemy with her bare hands.

The other head counselors stood up at their tables, some consoling the younger campers and others, like Lou Ellen and the Stoll brothers, pulling out weapons.

"It's their fault!" a camper hiding under the Hermes table yelled. "They brought her here! They're traitors, I told you!"

"Gods, would you _shut up_?" Jason called back. He lowered his voice and turned to Will. "Do you know what's happening?"

Will gave a small nod. The guilt felt like it was about to eat away at him, but he managed to speak. "She's come back for me," he said quietly. "I'm putting you all in danger, I shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry."

Nico lowered his sword slightly and looked Will directly in the eyes. "Didn't I tell you once to stop apologizing for everything? This is _not_ your fault."

"But-"

"No," Nico took Will's hand, which made Will suddenly feel self-conscious that everyone was watching him. Nico didn't seem to care. "Listen to me, you _will not_ blame yourself for this."

A loud screech sounded from the Aphrodite table. At once, all of the Cabin 10 campers were on top of their table, screaming as hundreds of snakes emerged from the woods.

"Oh come on, _seriously_?" Leo groaned. He jumped from the table, wielding his fiery fists of fury. He ran to the Aphrodite table and began flinging fireballs towards the serpents, pushing them back towards the trees. Majority of them slipped past and made a straight line for Will. Luckily, everyone standing around him was able to fight them off easily, slicing and stabbing through the serpents like they were putty.

The earth continued to tremble underneath their feet, and more campers lost their balance and fell to the ground. A fissure opened underneath the head table, cracking it in half and swallowing up plates and goblets.

"Take evasive action!" Chiron commanded. Most of the campers still stood in shock, gaping at everything falling apart around them. But the head counselors and a few older brave souls jumped into action, running towards the stables and the armory.

The Stoll brothers began equipping campers with armor, swords, and daggers, tossing mismatched items towards anyone nearby and yelling out commands.

The Aphrodite kids fled back towards the cabins, as did the Demeter and Iris cabins. The other campers hesitated as their head counselors urged them into the fight. They didn't dare abandon the battle now, lest they want to be seen as cowards. Annabeth gave a particularly icy glare to two Athena kids who tried to sneak off in the chaos.

More fissures and gaps opened beneath them, one particularly large one cracking open right beneath Will's feet. Luckily, he noticed it soon enough to jump back, pushing Nico and Jason out of the way so they wouldn't be swallowed up either.

With all of the screaming and chaos in the darkness, Will didn't think things could get much worse. Then the monsters came.

They poured out from every corner of the forest, surrounding the entire dining pavilion. Hellhounds and harpies and drakons - dozens, maybe even one hundred of them - monsters that Will had only ever heard of in stories. They were alive and real and thirsty for blood. _Will's_ blood, he realized as all of the creatures slowly stalked forward, their eyes trained directly on him.

"You two," Reyna hissed under her breath. "Run. _Now_."

Nico didn't need to be told twice. He tugged Will's hand - which he had never let go of - and dashed off in the opposite direction of the monsters. And that's when all hell broke loose.

The hellhounds ran after them first, tearing through the ranks of campers and tossing them aside like they were rag dolls. Those who were armed charged towards the monsters, but they could barely land a single hit before they were thrown aside.

"We can't leave them all behind!" Will yelled.

"They're strong enough to fight for themselves," Nico panted, pulling on Will's hand harder to make him keep up. "Besides, they're after you. They're not even paying attention to anyone else."

Will glanced back, noticing the scores of monsters plowing straight through the other demigods and making a beeline towards him. Every few seconds one would explode in a shower of dust, but there were too many to keep up with, and they kept coming faster.

"Hold on," Nico said through clenched teeth. Will had only a moment to prepare before the odd floating sensation of shadow travel washed over him. He held tight to Nico's hand, the only thing keeping him from disintegrating and disappearing into the darkness completely.

The center of the dining pavilion was absolute chaos. Jason hadn't remembered fighting so hard since the battle at Mount Tam when he slew the Titan Krios. And he and everyone else at Camp Half-Blood were so out of practice that they tired out quickly. But they had to keep fighting.

They had to stop the monsters from getting to Will. That was all the monsters cared about.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Leo using his flames as jet fuel, soaring over the crowd and firing flames at everything he could reach.

Percy and Annabeth stood back to back on top of what was left of the head table. Percy summoned water from the creeks running through the forest and created small tsunamis that wiped out dozens on monsters at a time while Annabeth watched his back, slashing at anything that got close with her dagger.

Grover and the wood nymphs willed the tree branches to form claw-like appendages and grab monsters out of the crowd one by one, tossing them about and throwing them as far away as possible.

The Ares, Apollo, Athena, and Hermes cabin kids held their own, fighting their hardest. Jason had seen a few of them flee during the chaos, and he didn't blame them. The ones who stayed to fight were having a hard time keeping up.

And Reyna - Reyna was running away from the dining pavilion, towards the fireworks beach. She called out to Leo, who extinguished his flames and ran away with her. He couldn't be bothered to worry about what they were doing. He had to keep fighting.

Even if it killed him. Which wasn't unlikely, considering he'd heard at least one dying scream of a camper who'd thrown inaccurately or not run fast enough and had been taken over by the steady stream of enemies emerging from the woods.

He'd just hoped Will and Nico had a plan to end this soon. He didn't think he could fight much longer.

Will and Nico materialized behind the stables a few seconds later. It was a short distance jump, but Nico still collapsed to his knees as he landed. He declined Will's offer for support and stood on his own, swaying back and forth slightly.

"That should be enough to keep them off our tail for a couple minutes at least. Are you okay?"

Will was about to say 'of course' but he was cut off by the sound of distant explosions. He jumped nearly a foot in the air and his mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion.

"What in Hades was that?" Will turned towards the source of the noise and gaped at the colorful flares appearing in the sky.

"A diversion," Nico grinned. "Must be someone down on the beach setting the fireworks off."

"Huh," Will said. "They'd probably look really pretty if I wasn't running for my life."

"Hey!" a voice hissed at them. Thankfully, it wasn't the demonic screech of Gaea, but rather the worried whisper of a camper.

Will and Nico whirled around to see one of the boys from Hermes cabin staring at them through the bushes, urging them to follow. It was the other teenager from Will's dream, but he didn't have much time to dwell on that.

Nico gave him a skeptical look. "You actually want to help us?"

"I know that Hephaestus cabin has a secret series of underground tunnels and bunkers where we can hide you," the boy said.

Will's curiosity got the better of him. "What's your name?"

"Cecil," the boy responded. "We've got to hurry, I think those things can smell you. I mean more than a normal monster can smell a demigod."

Nico frowned. "Thanks, that's reassuring."

Cecil shrugged. "Just telling it how it is."

They sprinted towards the cabins, Cecil in the lead. Thankfully, for now, the monster seemed to have lost track of them. Still, in the distance, Will could hear the battle cries and sounds of weapons clashing down at the dining pavilion. Everyone was still fighting hard and risking their lives, all because he hadn't just warned them that this was coming.

Will slowed to a stop, staring back at the source of the noise. This was his fault, no matter how many times anyone tried to tell him otherwise.

Nico noticed his hesitation and stopped running. "Cecil, wait up," he said before dashing back to Will's side. "What's wrong?"

"I shouldn't have come here," Will stared at his feet, trying to stop the tears he could feel forming in his eyes. "Your friends might be dying out there for me. She came for me. If I just let her have me, it'll stop all of this."

Nico shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm sorry, but have you gone mad? Will, Gaea has been planning this for nearly a century. Ever since before I was born, back in 1929. She was forming and growing stronger and she isn't going to stop just because you gave yourself up. She'll keep using you for your power and we'll never be able to stop her. The war will be over, and it won't be because we won."

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, whatever's going on with you two is none of my business" Cecil held his hands up in defense, "but if we want to survive, we need to go. Like, _now_."

"I can't let all of these people keep getting hurt, Nico," Will said. "I can't keep running away."

"Then I'm staying with you," Nico said right away. "Cecil, go into the bunkers. Protect yourself. Get some others to safety if you can."

"But-" Cecil began to protest.

"No," Nico said firmly. "Go. We can handle this."

Will and Nico both knew that was a lie. But there was no need to cause any more innocent people's injuries or deaths. There could have already been an immeasurable death toll, and it was growing each second they stood there. Cecil ran and retreated into Hephaestus cabin, throwing Nico and Will one last glance before closing the door behind him.

Then Will and Nico were alone. Almost.

"There you are, grandson, right where I need you," Gaea's voice erupted from all around them. "I've missed you."

Will whirled around quickly, but couldn't find the source of the voice. "Come out, you coward!" he yelled. "I'm not afraid of you anymore!"

"Oh, but you should be," her voice was suddenly very close. Will turned and there she was, standing over his right shoulder. Her dark hair cascaded around her eerily serene face.

She didn't attack. She simply stood with a smile on her face, staring at Will as if he were an old friend. Or as if she were a fox who'd just cornered her prey. Nico stood in front of Will, his sword pointed at her.

"William Solace," she clucked her tongue. "I've gotten hurt quite a few times in the past week. I've needed you to heal me, and you haven't been there for me. Such a shame, you'd rather spend your time running around with the enemy."

"They're not the enemy, _you_ are," Will said. "You haven't been able to hurt me yet. They've protected me more than you ever have."

"Do you think I haven't seen what you've been up to?" Gaea taunted, but her harsh words were directed at Nico, not Will. "I've seen and heard everything. I've waited until the perfect moment to strike, waiting until Will has built up enough confidence to think he can actually stand up against me. And until he's built up enough _friendship_ to make it seem like he actually had someone who could defend him. He never stood a chance. Tearing the little Hades boy's heart to shreds will just be an added perk when I destroy you all-"

Before she could say another word, Nico surged forward and clamped his hands around her throat, knocking her to the ground. Will didn't even have the time to cry out before the earth below them began shaking hard, knocking Will to the ground.

Pure rage flashed in Nico's eyes. The shadows of the night seemed to surround him. Whether they were empowering him or draining him, Will couldn't be sure.

Gaea grew three times her original size and tossed Nico off of her like he weighed nothing. With a flick of her wrist, another fissure opened in the ground, this time, directly underneath Nico.

"NO!" Will cried as the lower half of Nico's body slipped into the ground. He clutched hard onto the edge of the earth, his knuckles turning white and bleeding.

Will tried his hardest to crawl to Nico, to pull him up and drag him as far away as possible, but he couldn't stand up with the earth shaking the way it did underneath his feet.

Gaea laughed, a high shrill noise. "That was much too easy. Don't you demigods understand that you can't defeat me?"

"My sister defeated you once," Nico spat, the dark shadows surrounding him lashing out like whips. "And that was before she had any training. We're stronger than you think."

"Hazel Levesque died for what she did," Gaea screeched. "Just as you will, Nico di Angelo."

Nico smiled, but this time, there was no happiness or humor in it. No, it was vengeful and deadly. It actually made Will gasp out loud and retreat backwards.

"If I die," Nico said darkly. "I'm taking you with me"

At once, the shadows shot out and engulfed Gaea in a dark prison. Nico's face contorted in pain as he released every bit of dark energy he had, willing the shadows to spread across Gaea's face and body, knocking her to the ground and dragging her towards the pit. As hard as she fought, she couldn't overwhelm the shadows.

"Nico!" Will cried out desperately. "Stop! It doesn't have to be like this!"

Nico stared at Will one last time, and his expression softened.

"I'm sorry," Nico whispered.

Then he summoned the very last of his energy and willed the shadows to pull Gaea over the edge, knocking both of them into the pit. And Nico and Gaea disappeared into the darkness together.


	13. Vidi Solem

Will didn't know how long he sat in that spot after Nico and Gaea had disappeared. He didn't move an inch, didn't blink, didn't even dare to breathe. He just stared at the crack in the ground that was left after Gaea had been dragged down. After Nico had pulled her down with him. After Nico had . . .

"Will!" he barely registered the sound of Reyna's voice. "Will! What's going on?"

She ran to his side and knelt down next to him. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

He managed a small nod.

"What? You mean-" she gasped, "Gaea? She was here?"

He nodded again.

She immediately began checking him for injuries, taking his hands in hers. He didn't even feel anything. He was numb all over. "Are you hurt? What did she do to you?"

_Nothing_ , he thought, but he couldn't force the words out. _She didn't lay a hand on me. She didn't have a chance to. And she never would again._

He didn't feel himself collapse into Reyna's arms, didn't hear her desperate cries for help as he stopped responding to her voice. He didn't see the onslaught of campers triumphantly marching back towards the cabins, loudly cheering and chattering about how all of the monsters had suddenly retreated and they'd won. He didn't see Cecil come running from Hephaestus cabin, telling everyone that he saw what happened. He didn't hear the mournful silence that fell over the entire camp once everyone realized that Gaea was gone, and that she'd taken Nico along with her.

* * *

_When turned eighteen will see the light._

_A loss most wrong to set things right._

_A selfless act shall correct the past,_

_The child of the sun to be freed at last._

Will woke in the infirmary some time later, disoriented and exhausted. He could barely muster the energy to open his eyes, let alone join the conversation he could hear around him.

He kept his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. He could hear Cecil's voice near the end of his bed, recounting the tale of what had happened last night.

"I was watching from the window of Hephaestus cabin," he was saying. "That kid, Nico, had told me to go ahead without them. I mean, I didn't want to, but he seemed pretty serious about it. I was in there with Nyssa and Harley the others and we were helping some of the younger kids get underground. Then all of a sudden everything outside went dark - like, darker than it already was - and there was this loud crack and I look out to see this huge swirling dirt vortex disappear into the ground."

"Gaea," Percy's voice sounded distant and gravelly. "We heard the noise too. And right after that the monsters started disintegrating."

"Which means she's dead, right?" Jason asked. "The monsters would have just reformed if the doors of death were still open. She was the one who was anchoring the doors down and preventing Thantos from reaching them. But now . . ."

"Now Thantos has control over the doors again." Annabeth. "But that doesn't necessarily mean Gaea is dead. She could have just been put to sleep again. For all we know she's somewhere underground waiting to regain her strength and attack again. Cecil, did you see if that fissure possibly led anywhere?"

He shook his head gravely. "I couldn't see from inside the cabin. And by the time I ran out there it was completely closed up. I didn't even see what pulled her down there."

The room felt silent. Will didn't even need to see to know that they were all very aware of what had caused Gaea's downfall, and that the grief probably showed on all of their faces. Nico's absence hadn't gone unnoticed, that was obvious. It's just that no one seemed to want to talk about it. Will especially.

The next sounds he heard were the clopping of hooves on the floor, followed by the scraping of chairs across the hard wood when everyone stood to greet Chiron as he entered the room.

"Sit," Chiron sighed. "We need to discuss the next steps we'll take. This war is far from over."

"He's right. _To storm or fire the world must fall_ ," Annabeth recited. "Gaea was defeated, but it wasn't according to what the prophecy states. So this victory is only temporary. She'll be back."

"I say we go back to Europe," Reyna said, "and get the others. Hazel and Frank and Piper and-" she paused. Will had a feeling she was about to mention Claire, but then decided against it. "And the seven need to finish their quest."

"My thoughts exactly," said Chiron. "And as for the issue of Nico di Angelo-" Will didn't think the silence could have gotten any more suffocating, but it did the moment his name was spoken out loud, "-I've begun investigating the possibilities. If Gaea survived, there is a good chance that Nico did as well. But in the meantime, I'd like to prepare a burial shroud in his honor. I trust that you would all want to take part in the ceremony."

No one said a word.

What Chiron said next surprised them all, though. "William, are you listening?"

Every head in the room turned to Will. How Chiron knew he was awake, he couldn't be sure, but he sat up and nodded.

"Yes sir," he tried to say, but his voice came out hoarse. After coughing to clear his throat, he repeated it, then said, "I'd be glad to take part in the ceremony as well."

Chiron shook his head. "While everyone at camp is preparing the shroud burning ceremony here, I have another task for you," he said. "I've contacted Mount Olympus. If you're feeling well enough, I've scheduled a meeting for you."

"With my dad?" Will asked. After everything that had happened last night, at least finally meeting his father would make up for some of it.

Chiron shook his head again, this time more sadly. "Lord Apollo could not be reached. He'd left shortly before I sent the message. But there is someone else that I think you should talk to."

"Who?" He couldn't possibly think of anyone else worth talking to.

"Nico's father. Hades, Lord of the Underworld."

* * *

The ride to the 600th floor of the Empire state building was quite possibly the most daunting task Will had been faced with yet. Facing his terrible past and seemingly inevitable death was hard enough, but facing a God to discuss said God's son's death/disappearance was about a thousand times more terrifying.

Chiron and Reyna accompanied him there, with Reyna supportively clutching his hand in hers for the entire elevator ride up, but he had chosen to enter the Gods' throne room alone.

His footsteps echoed loudly across the marble floors as he approached the center of the semicircle of thrones. Off to the far left, brooding in the corner, was the man Will had come to see.

Hades was just as intimidating and terrifying as Will had expected him to be. Lord Hades hadn't said a word since Will had entered, but he did glance over his shoulder and stare Will down for a few moments before turning his attention back to the window behind him.

"So," Hades began after a long silence, "I take it you're Will Solace, the young man who witnessed my son's death."

Will's heart dropped. "He isn't really gone, is he?"

"I felt his life force fade out," said Hades. "My children often find themselves treading dangerously on the line between life and death, and Nico had been there many times during periods where his powers overwhelmed him. But this time, he may have overstepped that line."

"May have?" Will asked. "You're not sure." It wasn't a question.

Hades glared at him. "No, I am not sure, young demigod. As you know, I've been busy with other matters."

"I apologize, Lord Hades," Will bowed for good measure. No use in coming all this way just to aggravate the god of the Underworld into zapping him into oblivion. "But, if I may ask, couldn't you control whether or not he died?"

Hades slowly stalked about the throne room, his dark aura seeming to pull the light from everything in the room. "Despite the common misconceptions that many may believe, Mister Solace, I have no control over Death itself, only the domain where the dead reside. Thantos controls death, I do not. I suppose if Nico has died and hasn't yet passed through the gates of the underworld there is a chance he could be saved but-"

Will nearly yelped. "Lord Hades, I beg you, please let him-"

"My son is awaiting judgment, mister Solace," Hades grumbled, sounding slightly disappointed himself. "I have no power in where he is sent."

"Can't you make an exception? He's your son! You can't just let him die because of me!" Will sounded desperate. He tried his hardest not to start crying in front of the lord of the Underworld. "You, Thantos, can't someone do something?"

"Gods meddling in the lives of their demigod children is what got us in this trouble in the first place." Hades glared down at him. "It would not be wise to perform special tasks such as this for selfish reasons the way your father did with your healing gift."

"But you _can_ do it?"

"I suppose so, but-"

"You have to!" Will cried.

"I don't _have to_ do anything, Will Solace. You dare tell a God what to do?"

"No, of course not. That's not what I meant at all. I'm sorry, Lord Hades, but I want this more than anything." He could feel his eyes watering. He took a shaky breath before continuing. "If anything, I want to be able to get a chance to talk to him one last time. To let him know how I feel. And if that's selfish then I don't care. I'll do whatever I can for a chance to see him again."

Hades considered this for a moment. "Nico succeeded in defeating Gaea, yes?"

Will nodded. "As far as we know, yes, sir."

"And the Doors of Death vanished from their resting spot?"

"Yes, sir. That means Thantos has control over them again. And he can return a human soul so long as they haven't passed Ceberus and gone to judgment yet, right?" Will had been given a short lecture from Chiron on how the Underworld's system ran on the way up to the throne room. He'd only hoped he was using the correct terminology and not making a fool of himself in front of Nico's father.

Hades groaned and pinched the spot between his eyes. "Yes, you're right. But-"

"Maybe I can reason with him," a new voice spoke from behind them.

The man had entered the room silently. When Will turned, it was like looking in a mirror. He was young, looking about the same age and height as Will, with the same bright blue eyes and curly blonde hair. They also shared the same grief-stricken expression. They could have been twins if not for the other man's glowing aura.

Will had been having trouble holding in the tears before, but now he let them flow freely.

"Dad?" Will's voice was barely a whisper. The god Apollo simply nodded and held his arms open. Will immediately fell into his father's arms and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Will" Apollo sighed. "I'm so sorry for everything. You've grown up to be such a brave, strong young man. I've missed you."

Hades, however, didn't seem to be appreciating the reunion. In fact, he sounded bitter. "You left the meeting quite early, Apollo. You almost missed your son completely. Would have been a shame."

"For your information, your dark and broodiness, I was visiting Adalynn. Like I do every year on this day. If you paid attention you'd know that."

Will's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the mention of visiting his mother before he realized Apollo meant that he'd visited her gravesite.

"If you don't mind," Apollo said to Hades, "I'd like a moment alone with my son."

Hades raised an eyebrow at the pair, but said nothing. He stalked from the room, closing the enormous doors behind him with an ominous click.

Will pulled from his father's arms and stared at him, still unable to believe that after eighteen years, they were finally meeting. It wasn't at all what he thought it would be like, but regardless, he was grateful for this one good thing.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Apollo said. "Ask away. I won't mind."

Hundreds of questions immediately popped into his head. _How long did you spend looking for me? Did you ever want to give up on me? Were you ever even close to finding out where I really was? Did you understand how awful and lonely I was all my life?_ He settled on the one question that had been nagging him the most.

"Why did you choose me?" Will asked. "You have hundreds of children. Why couldn't it have been one of them?"

Apollo frowned, a sad and guilty look. He took both of Will's hands in his. "I could show you, if you'd like."

Will nodded once quickly and closed his eyes.

* * *

_At once he was transported to a beach. He was reliving Apollo's memories, he realized, gasping down at his nearly transparent form. It was early morning, the first waves of the day splashing lightly onto the shore with the sunrise in the distance. Apollo, looking just as young and radiant as he did in present day, lay on his back on a surfboard far out into the water._

_"Hey, you!" a high voice called out._

_Standing on a rock outcropping was a young woman who couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen years old. Her bright green eyes and wavy golden hair glinted in the sunlight. Her deep tan - which must have been a result of spending all of her time on the beach, judging from the red lifeguard's bathing suit she wore - accented the freckles covering nearly every inch of her body. She was breathtaking. And she couldn't have been anyone other than Will's mother, Adalynn Solace._

_"It's dangerous to be out here alone so early. Haven't you ever heard of the 'always swim with a buddy' rule?" she yelled out to Apollo._

_He lifted his head to find the source of the noise and was immediately taken aback by the young woman's beauty. "Well, I have a buddy now, don't I?" he flirted._

_Adalynn scoffed loudly enough for him to hear. "Very funny. The beach doesn't open until eight anyway, get out of the water."_

_"You don't own the ocean!" Apollo yelled back. "In fact, my uncle does. And he doesn't care if I swim with a buddy or not."_

_"What?" Adalynn asked. Whether she was confused or if she just couldn't hear him, Apollo couldn't be sure._

_"Nothing," he began paddling back to shore. After a few minutes, his board bumped into the spot where the rock outcropping met the water. Adalynn sat right above him, her feet in the water, staring him down threateningly. "Wow," he said, "even prettier up close. I'm impressed."_

_She kicked water in his face and stood and turned away. "Such a shame too, I'd actually give you a chance if you didn't have such blatant disregard for the rules. I don't flirt with troublemakers."_

_"Do you give troublemakers a second chance to make a good impression?" he asked hopefully._

_Adalynn paused, throwing him a glance over her shoulder. "That depends. Guys like you don't usually redeem themselves so easily."_

_He pulled himself from the water and strolled up behind her. "I'm sure I'll be an exception. I really am sorry for breaking the rules. How about I make it up to you over lunch?"_

_She turned to face him and hoped the heat she could feel rising to her cheeks wasn't so obvious to him. He was very straightforward, which she wasn't used to, but she couldn't say she was put off by it. His confidence was charming, in a way. She tried to back away from his gaze and tripped backwards, twisting her ankle in the process._

_"Oh, gods, are you okay?" the boy rushed to her side. His odd speech patterns didn't escape her notice, but there were more important matters to worry about. Like the fact that her ankle was probably broken, which would mean she wouldn't be able to swim. And no swimming meant her brand new lifeguarding job at the_ Palekaiko Resort _was already in jeopardy, and it was only her first week._

_"I'm fine," she growled, but upon trying to stand, she howled in pain and fell back to the ground. "Okay, I'm not fine. Can you help me to the medic building, it's right over there."_

_"I'd be honored to," without a moment's hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and began walking towards the building. She was extremely petite, which made it effortless to carry her._

_She gasped loudly, but didn't try to remove herself from his grasp. "What are you doing?"_

_"Helping you to the medic building. What's your name?" he asked, as if making casual conversation while carrying a girl he just met bridal-style across the beach was a totally normal occurrence for him._

_"Adalynn," she said quietly, trying to focus on anything besides the boy's strong arms holding her up and his bare chest pressed against her._

_"That's weird."_

_She frowned at him. "Well, what's yours?"_

_He hesitated a moment. "Apollo."_

_"Oh, sure, but_ my _name is weird."_

_They reached the building a short while later and were met with locked doors._

_Adalynn groaned. "I forgot how early it was. See, if you were swimming when the beach was open, people would be here." She pulled a lanyard with a key ring attached to it off her neck and fumbled for the right key. She handed it to Apollo, who opened the door and walked inside, placing her down on one of the cots._

_"Could you hand me that gauze over there, it should be up on the shelf next to the boxes of . . ." she trailed off, noticing him staring at her instead of moving. "Hello? Earth to surfer dude."_

_"I'm listening," he said, cocking his head to one side._

_"I need gauze to wrap this and keep it still," she continued. "And ice and some pillows so I can elevate it. And I think there's a pair or crutches in the closet over there."_

_Apollo noticed the endless supply of sterile medical supplies lining the shelves around the room. White boxes with red crosses on them and warning labels on medication bottles surrounded him. Part of him was impressed - mortals had done a great job of developing medicine and health care - but the other part of him saw all of this as completely unnecessary. Still, just for show, he walked over and took a wad of gauze off one of the top shelves and walked back to the cot, kneeling at Adalynn's side._

_"Here, let me-" she began, but he cut her off._

_"No, let me," he carefully set her twisted ankle in place and began wrapping it. Every once in a while, he let his fingertips brush against her skin, just subtly enough so that she wouldn't notice him using his power to alleviate the pain a little more with each touch._

_He finished wrapping the gauze tightly, then took and ice bag from the nearby freezer and placed it on her ankle. "How does that feel?" he asked._

_"It . . . doesn't hurt at all, actually. Which is weird." She gave him a skeptical look. "How did you do that?"_

_Apollo shrugged. "I guess I just have a gift."_

_"Ironic," she muttered. "Didn't the Apollo in Greek mythology have a healing gift? Among a million other things."_

_He just grinned at her. If only she knew._

* * *

_Why she'd agreed to a date with this insufferable boy, she couldn't really tell._

_Sure, he was handsome. And he'd been extremely nice to her. Plus, she had immense respect for anyone with medical knowledge. If she'd been able to afford college, she'd be in medical school by now. She'd promised she wouldn't let anything distract from her dream career. Her lifeguarding job was the next best thing to pursuing nursing. And now, because of that job, she'd met Apollo, and she was now on her way to the resort's beachside cafe. On a_ date _. She shook her head, still denying the fact that it was actually happening._

_If only her sister had been there to see it. Hallie probably wouldn't believe it either. But Hallie Solace was long gone, along with Adalynn's mother and father. The accident that led to their passing was the reason why she'd left home and moved to California so young. She was able to get a job to support herself while also leaving behind all of the somber memories from her childhood. She was alone here, but maybe it was for the better._

_She reached the doors of the cafe just at the sun began to set. The entire resort was bathed in a golden glow as she stepped inside and scanned the room for Apollo. When she'd first arrived, she'd thought the artificial Hawaiian tiki masks and floral decor everywhere were tacky, but she did have to admit the theming of the resort lifted her spirits and made her feel more optimistic. It took her a while to spot him sitting at a stool at the front counter between two lei-clad tourists and - oh god, no wonder he blended in so well with the decor, he'd brought her flowers and he was clutching the stems in his hands so hard he was nearly crushing them._

_Apollo locked eyes with Adalynn across the cafe and he grinned widely, a smile that seemed to brighten up the entire room. He gestured her over, excitedly waving the small bouquet in his hands. His happiness was so infectious, she couldn't help but smile too as she joined him._

_Maybe she wasn't so alone after all._

* * *

_Adalynn kept her lifeguarding job at that same beach for the next two summers. And Apollo continued to return to the spot where they met each year, for a chance to see her again._

_She looked forward to his reappearances during the summer. He never warned her, he'd just show up one day, splashing loudly to catch her attention or sneaking up behind her while she sat in her chair on duty. And each time she caught a glimpse of his handsome face her heart did cartwheels in her chest._

_She felt a bit ridiculous, being twenty years old and acting like a twelve-year-old girl around him, but boys in high school had never interested her. This was her first real experience with love and she was soaking up every last detail of it._

_One of the best things about being with Apollo was that, for once, she could forget her troubles. She'd gone weeks without having nightmares about the fire that took her family's lives or reminiscing about her childhood tea parties and sleepovers with Hallie. She'd been genuinely happy for the first time in years because of him. She hadn't even thought it would be possible, but Apollo had his ways of making her forget even the worst things._

_On one of her last nights of work, right after closing, he stood waiting for her on the rocks with flowers and a picnic basket._

_"Excuse me, sir, but the beach isn't open right now," she teased, sitting down next to him._

_"Ah, but I couldn't pass up the most perfect moment to be with you. Do you notice how bright the moon is tonight?"_

_She had noticed, actually. It was full and glowing bright, illuminating the entire beach in a romantic glow. "It's beautiful," she said. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you had something to do with it."_

_"I have my ways of knowing these things," he smiled._

_They kissed under the stars, as they'd done countless times before during their meetings together. Neither wanted their time together to end. But Apollo knew better, he knew it would end up just like all of his other past loves and he'd eventually have to leave her behind._

_But, unlike his past loves, he'd never felt this strongly about anyone before. Sure, he'd spend a few months, maybe a year with them, then he'd move on. But something was different about Adalynn Solace. The way she carried herself with more grace and wisdom and beauty than he'd ever seen in any other person. How she saw beyond his looks and charisma and tried to get to know him on a deeper level. He'd still refused to tell her anything, though. He didn't want to start getting personal with her, because then he'd get attached, and he couldn't afford to do that. It would hurt too much to lose her after that._

_Adalynn pulled away and frowned at Apollo. "Is something wrong?"_

_"No," Apollo lied. He stood and took her hand, beckoning her to dance. "I'm just so happy to be with you right now. Lets just enjoy our time together."_

While we still can _, he thought._

* * *

_"You're a what?" Adalynn cried. It had been two months since that late August night, and Apollo had visited for the first time outside of the summer season with big news._

_"A god," Apollo smiled sheepishly. "Like,_ the _Apollo. From Greek mythology. I mean, that's me. I'm him. And all of those stories and myths are actually true. Surprise. I'm sorry I never told you. But the guilt was killing me. I had to come back and tell you."_

_"You can't be serious," she said, holding a hand to her temple and sitting down. "I think I'm going to be sick."_

_Apollo frowned. "This is how it usually happens," he said. "Once people find out who I really am, they don't really want anything to do with me anymore."_

_"No, no, it's not that!" she said, taking his hand in hers. "I don't want you to leave. At least, not yet. I know eventually you'll have to, but I want you here with me as long as possible. I love you."_

_Apollo had heard those words countless times before, from hundreds of men and women, but never from Adalynn, and never once had they made him so happy before. He smiled and kissed her knuckles._

_"And," Adalynn began, touching a hand to her stomach. "Since we're spilling secrets, I have something to tell you too..."_

* * *

_Seven months later, a golden-haired, blue-eyed baby was born._

_Will was looking upon his infant self in awe. Adalynn held the swaddled baby in her arms, cooing over him. Apollo stood at her shoulder, smiling down at his baby boy._

_"He's beautiful," Adalynn sighed._

_"Just like his mother," Apollo said quietly. "What have you named him?"_

_"William. William Everett Solace. I think it fits him well."_

_"It's perfect," he kissed her cheek and hugged her close._

_"You need to be going, don't you?" she asked him. "It's the summer solstice. The Olympian council. You can't miss it."_

_"I can't," he sighed. "Dad would kill me."_

_Adalynn couldn't help but laugh. It always amused her to hear Apollo refer to the King of Olympus and one of the most powerful gods in the world as "dad"._

_"But, I have a parting gift for you," Apollo held his arms out and gestured towards his son. Adalynn handed him over. "William. My beautiful little boy. You'll achieve great things one day."_

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Giving you... a parting gift of sorts." He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on the bundle in his arms. At once, they both began glowing bright as Apollo bestowed some of his power to his son. "Now you'll always have a part of me, no matter how far away I am."_

_Adalynn pulled him close and kissed him lightly. "I don't want to say goodbye to you yet."_

_"I'll never leave you," he said. "Not forever."_

_Little did they know it was the last time she'd ever see him._

* * *

" _I'm begging you," Adalynn pleaded to the dark woman standing in front of her. She shielded Will's crib as best as she could. "Don't hurt him."_

_"Oh, I won't hurt him," Gaea cackled. "However, I can't promise the same for you."_

_Apollo slammed a fist onto the armrest of his throne, whining like a child to his father, Zeus. "You have to let me help her!" It was torture, having to watch Gaea threaten the two people he loved more than anything in the world from his throne on Olympus, but he had no choice. Blessing his son with his impeccable healing was grounds for punishment, and if the other Olympians had anything to say about it, then his actions wouldn't slide without consequences. But this punishment was the worst possible thing he could have been subjected to._

_Zeus overlooked him. "You should have thought about the consequences of your actions. Perhaps the boy deserves it. His power would be too much for a mortal woman to handle."_

_"You don't know Adalynn. You underestimate just how amazing she is."_

_Zeus should know better than anyone else the consequences of breaking ancient law. Had he been forced to watch Beryl Grace go through similar tortures, he wouldn't have stood for it. But perhaps if her spiral into alcoholism and neglect of her two children wasn't enough for Zeus to intervene, nothing was._

_"No, NO!" she screamed, a painfully shrill sound. Apollo had to look away._

_Then Adalynn Solace's house was silent, save for the cries of baby Will. And Apollo's world went dark._

* * *

Will opened his eyes and he was back in the throne room on Mount Olympus, still holding his father's hands and now crying even harder than before.

Apollo wiped away a single tear of his own. "I suppose now wasn't the best time to show you that," he laughed sadly. "You've got other problems you were dealing with here, weren't you?"

"My friend, Nico," Will said simply. _Friend_ didn't seem like a good enough word to describe what Nico meant to him, but he couldn't seem to come up with anything better at the moment.

Apollo smiled understandably. "Tell me about him."

"He's-" Will paused and took a breath. "He _was . . ._ a hero. He and his friend, Reyna, they rescued me from Gaea. They went on this huge dangerous journey to help me. They risked their lives and brought me all the way across the ocean and to Camp Half-Blood to make sure I was safe from her. And Nico, he was like a knight in shining armor, dad. He protected me every step of the way. In the end, he's the one who ended my imprisonment with her for good. I felt safe and cared for when I was with him. I'd never had anyone, and then he came along and changed all of that. He saved me. In more ways than one."

Apollo hugged his son again, a bone-crushingly tight embrace that neither of them wanted to end. "It sounds like," Apollo whispered, "maybe he could be your Adalynn."


	14. Quid Sibi Mea Erat

Returning to Camp Half-Blood was drastically different from when Will had first arrived. This time, there were no party plans, no campers out training or socializing, no feeling of excitement. The only change Will was happy about was that his father was there with him. It didn't make the situation any better, but having Apollo there made the whole day slightly more bearable.

Everyone was gathered in the amphitheater for the shroud burning ceremony. Since Nico didn't have any siblings at camp, Jason and Percy were the ones who led the procession, carrying the heavy black shroud on their shoulders as the crowd rose to their feet. Even the kids who had been discouraging Reyna and Nico's arrival the night before now stood with their heads bowed respectfully. Despite their animosity towards Romans, they still acknowledged the bravery behind Nico's sacrifice. The only one absent from the ceremony was Chiron, who'd told Will and Reyna he had business to take care of on Mount Olympus before galloping away, leaving them to make their way back to Camp alone.

Reyna herself stood against one of the far walls of the amphitheater, sobbing into Annabeth's shoulder as Annabeth squeezed her shoulders tight, trying to calm her down. Reyna had managed to keep herself together, staying strong throughout the entire trip to Mount Olympus and back, but she completely broke down walking back through the barriers of camp half blood and passing the fissure in the ground where Gaea and Nico had fallen.

A part of Will felt selfish for being so upset. Reyna and Nico had been each others' best friends and closest companions for years, and Percy and Annabeth knew him even longer than Reyna did. They were the ones who deserved to be mourning him the most. And yet, Percy and Annabeth were the ones holding themselves together the best out of everyone.

Will was thankful that everyone's attention was focused on the ceremony so they didn't notice him and Apollo enter and take their seats in the top seats, far away from the crowds.

The campers took their seats again as Percy raised a hand, signaling for them to listen as he began his speech. This would be the hardest part of the day for Will, having to listen to all of Nico's old friends regaling all of the adventures he was a part of and express their regrets of experiences they'd never have with him.

"I'll be honest," Percy began, "at first, I didn't consider Nico a friend at all. In fact, when we first met, he was the most annoying little ten-year-old I'd ever met and I spent majority of my time trying not to strangle him." He laughed sadly. "And for a while, he hated me too. I made him a promise I couldn't keep. He and I weren't on good terms for a really long time, and I really regret that. If things had worked out differently, if it weren't for those few awful unforeseen consequences, Nico and I could have probably been really good friends."

_Friends_. Of course, Percy never knew that Nico was in love with him all along. That was a consequence that would stay unforeseen forever now. Nico never told him, and now would never be able to.

"Life as a demigod is hard, we all know it," Percy continued. "But Nico, he had it worst of all. He was torn out of his own time, forced to deal with the burden of his sister's death and the reputation that came with being a child of Hades. The reputation that caused him to be alone in one of the few places where demigods are supposed to be welcomed. And as soon as his life started getting better, it . . ." his voice broke slightly. Jason gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and he took a deep breath before continuing. "It was taken away much too soon. I'm sorry, Nico di Angelo. You deserved better."

No one else stepped up to say anything. Annabeth had tried to coax Reyna to the middle of the amphitheater to speak, but Reyna pulled away, shaking her head profusely and sobbing even harder. No one could blame her. Will, on the other hand, didn't feel like it was his place to say anything. In the middle of a giant crowd of strangers, speaking at the funeral service of a boy he only knew for a week? It wouldn't feel right.

He didn't even want to think about how Hazel would react to the news. If she ever even found out. No one was sure when - or if - the quest to rescue the remainder of the seven of the prophecy would leave for Europe. After the battle with Gaea, no one was ready to set off on a new quest. They needed much more time to recover.

The sadness must have been obvious on his face, because his father moved closer to him and squeezed his shoulder.

"Son," Apollo whispered to him, "I know exactly how you feel. Trust me, it gets easier after some time."

Of course, this was probably the millionth funeral Apollo had attended. He had centuries worth of lost loves to mourn.

"Dad, I don't . . . I mean, Nico and I, it wasn't like that," Will said. "He and I weren't like you and mom. I barely even knew him."

"That doesn't mean it can't hurt just as much," Apollo said pointedly.

He definitely wasn't wrong. The weight of Nico's death weighed more heavily on Will's heart than anything else he'd ever experienced. It hurt more than all of the years of loneliness and wondering when he'd be free from Gaea. At least back then, he'd never had a taste of freedom. He didn't know what he was missing. But with Nico, he'd just barely gotten a glimpse at what true happiness with him felt like before it was ripped away from him without warning.

Part of him wished none of it had ever happened. He'd rather be imprisoned forever than be free at the cost of Nico's life.

The campers in the stands rose to their feet again as Leo stepped up to the shroud, igniting a small flame at the tip of his fingers.

He took five agonizingly slow steps up to Nico's shroud. "Does anyone have any final words?" he asked awkwardly as he lowered his hand, ready to light it.

"STOP!" Chiron's voice and the sound of his hooves echoed as he galloped across the amphitheater. Leo extinguished his flame and stepped back as Chiron came barreling through the group standing around Nico's shroud. For probably the first time ever, he looked stressed. Beads of sweat dripped down his face and he breathed heavily. And there, on his back, lay an unconscious Nico di Angelo.

* * *

Will's feet acted before his mind did. He jumped from his seat and ran down the stone steps, the rushing of blood in his ears drowning out the surprised gasps from the campers.

By the time he reached the ground, there was already a small crowd surrounding Nico and Chiron. Reyna's sobs hadn't subsided. In fact, she was crying even harder as she and Percy lifted Nico's frail and limp body from Chiron's back and placed him on the ground. Reyna cradled his head in her lap, pushing his hair out of his face and trying to shake him awake to no avail.

"What happened to you?" she kept asking. "What's wrong with him? Why isn't he waking up?"

"He is extremely weak," Chiron said gravely. "He is alive, but just barely."

Percy, Leo, Jason and Will all stared silently, not quite sure what to do. Annabeth seemed to be the only one not in complete shock. She knelt down and placed a hand on Nico's neck, checking his pulse.

"His pulse seems normal," she muttered quickly, examining as much as she could. "He's still breathing, I don't see any bleeding or bruising anywhere. I can't find anything wrong."

Will knew, though. He'd seen it happen twice - once in his nightmares, and once right before his eyes. "The shadows consumed him."

"He can bend darkness and death to his will, but if he loses control it can take over his life source," Reyna nodded. "He's been slowly fading away for weeks now, and his attack on Gaea may have pushed him over the edge. Unless," she looked up at Will and wiped a tear from her eye, "can you do something?"

"I don't know," Will said. His hands trembled at the very idea of it. He'd been able to fix physical wounds in the past, sure, but how could he heal something that he couldn't touch? He wanted to save Nico, of course, but if he couldn't, the guilt would destroy him.

"You have to try," Annabeth said. "Kayla!" she called up to the stands, "Get the heart defibrillator and any other useful supplies you can grab from the infirmary!"

Kayla and the other Apollo kids in the stands jumped up right away.

"Wait!" Apollo grabbed the shoulder of the nearest blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid and stopped them. "You all shouldn't leave. We need as many healers to stay nearby in case something goes wrong."

Kayla whirled around and glared at him. "Who are you to tell us what to - DAD? What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain everything later," Apollo said. "Kayla, I want you, Oliver, and Holly to get supplies from the infirmary. Everyone else, I want you here to help."

One of Apollo's sons turned and stared. "You know all of our names?"

Apollo tilted his head. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? Will! I'd get started if I were you."

At Apollo's cue, Reyna gently lifted Nico's head from her lap and laid him flat on the ground. She stood and watched Will as she stepped away shakily, her eyes wide and pleading.

Taking Nico's hand in his, Will couldn't help but notice how cold and thin he was. Nico had always been a small kid, but now, with every trace of color and life drained from him, he seemed impossibly frail.

Healing Nico this time would be different from anything he'd ever done. He couldn't pinpoint a broken bone or open wound. All he knew was that he wanted to try his hardest to fix whatever was wrong.

He took a deep breath before quietly singing out, " _Flos nitoris fulgore et lumen . . ."_

He immediately felt Nico's life force tugging at his fingertips. He closed his eyes, singing the hymn louder, focusing every last bit of his energy towards pushing away the darkness.

Will could feel it clouding his thoughts, beckoning him to stop trying, creeping at the edge of his own consciousness and trying to pull him down with it. Flashes of death and destruction appeared in the corners of his vision. Being ambushed by Romans in France.

Dropping from the sky and drowning alongside Scipio and Nico.

Being slowly strangled to death by the serpent at the zoo.

Choking on the gags in his mouth as he's tied up and dragged away from his friends.

Octavian invading Camp and burning it to the ground.

And, repeating over and over, Gaea's triumphant laughter as she dragged Nico to his death again and again.

He pushed harder than he ever had before, giving every last bit of his energy, but nothing he tried would ward away the darkness. Will almost wanted to give up. _Almost_.

"Dad!" Will cried out, "I'm losing him!"

Apollo ran to his son's side, taking one of Will's hands in his and Nico's cold, limp hand in the other. As they began chanting together, Apollo's natural aura grew brighter, surrounding the three of them in a golden glow.

" _Salvabo quod amissum est. Adducere reportat quod nostra fuit . . ."_

A hand on his shoulder nearly pulled him out of his focus before he realized it was one of his siblings, who had begun chanting along with them, his eyes closed in concentration. Other Apollo cabin kids followed his lead, linking hands and chanting Apollo's hymn.

The glowing aura around Will, Apollo, and Nico grew blinding, so much that those standing nearby had to shield their eyes. Reyna, Annabeth, Jason, Percy, and Leo stood off to the side, linking hands with each other and waiting with baited breath to see if Apollo's healing powers would succeed.

And then everything went dark.

The glowing aura blinked out, there one second and gone the next. The positive energy that had been flowing through the Apollo kids now faded to almost nothing. And Nico still lay on the ground unmoving.

"No . . ." Reyna whispered.

Will leaned closer, staring down at Nico's face. "Please," he pleaded quietly, "please be okay."

Hundreds of gasps and cries of relief were heard when Nico sucked in a large breath, sitting up so fast he nearly head-butted Will.

He looked around the arena and blinked rapidly. His eyes landed on the crowd of campers in the seats above, on Reyna and Annabeth, on Jason and Percy and Leo, on Apollo and his sons and daughters all linked together, and finally, on Will, who stared right back, just as shocked as he was.

"Will," Nico said, his voice extremely hoarse, "next time I try to destroy an ancient all-powerful goddess on my own, try a little harder to talk me out of it, okay?"

And then, without thinking, without caring that everyone in Camp Half-Blood was staring, Will kissed him.

All of the positivity that had left him before now came back in a rush, energizing him with a kind of happiness he'd never felt before. He silently scolded himself for all of the times in the past few days where he wanted to pull away from Nico's touch, because in this moment, he never wanted to let go. Now he gladly welcomed the heat rushing to his face and the softness of Nico's lips on his.

A loud cough brought him back to reality. "Huh," Apollo muttered, "for a second there I didn't think that was going to work. Okay then."

Nico and Will broke apart hastily, Will instinctively bringing his hand to his mouth, not quite believing what he'd just done. He almost laughed at how absurd this situation was.

Nico actually _did_ laugh, the sound escaping him almost against his will as he grinned widely. "Nice to see you again, too," he said.

From there, everything was a blur of hugs and happy tears. Reyna, of course, was the first to reach Nico, nearly throwing herself on top of him, kissing his cheeks and clutching him like she never wanted to risk letting go.

Percy and Jason helped Nico to his feet and the both of them clapped him hard on the back while Annabeth chastised them. "You two are going to break him!"

"Way to interrupt your own funeral, kid," Percy said to him. "Remember when I did that once?"

With the happy reunion came a flood of questions. The first being "So . . . can I burn this thing now?" coming from Leo, who stood near Nico's now useless burial shroud, his fingertips aflame. "I was actually kind of looking forward to that part."

"Be my guest," Nico told him.

Leo thrust his hand into the dark fabric of the shroud, cackling manically when it went up in flames.

Just fifteen minutes before, Will had given up all hope of ever seeing Nico again. Now he had someone to thank for bringing him back. He turned to Chiron. "You went looking for him?"

Chiron nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I had to travel to the Underworld and search for him. I almost thought I was going to be too late to stop the ceremony. It was not easy locating him."

"Wait a second," Jason said. "No offense, but people saw you and dirt face get sucked up into the ground. How are you even in one piece?"

Nico shrugged half-heartedly. "The Underworld is my dad's domain. I guess I just got lucky." The way he shifted his eyes while talking told Will that he wasn't telling the entire truth, but he knew it was better not to question it. If he was ever meant to really know what happened, Nico would tell him.

Will also heard the unmistakable, "So how long have you two been an item?" come from an Aphrodite kid, who was promptly elbowed and shushed.

"Before we answer any more questions," Nico interrupted, "I have something important I need to do for Will and his dad. Chiron, do I have your permission to leave camp?"

Chiron looked Nico up and down once, his skeptical frown turning to a small smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Of course. Though, do be careful. I'd hate to have to do this all over again."

* * *

"Okay, kid," Apollo said to Nico, "I know you said this is important and all, but do we really have to be here? I'm not exactly enjoying the doom-and-gloom themed decor."

Nico trudged ahead, holding Will's hand firmly in his. He wouldn't be letting go any time soon. "You get used to it," he called back. "Besides, we won't be here long."

"Nico, are you sure it's okay for you to be back so soon?" Will asked. He'd seen and felt all of the darkness inside Nico just hours before, and he wasn't sure he ever wanted to experience something that terrifying again. "Isn't the Underworld going to, you know, affect you?"

"I'll be fine. I know what I can handle now."

Somehow the Underworld was exactly as Will pictured it, and at the same time, unlike anything he could ever imagine.

Everything was dead. And not in the way he expected. Sure, the occasional skull and crossbones was a given, but he wasn't expecting to have to duck under hundreds of dried out, lifeless tress and pass through the ghostly figures of millennia worth of dead souls, which was about as creepy and unsettling as one would expect. As they passed the main entrance gates, he also saw Ceberus chewing a giant rubber ball, which was a bit odd to say the least.

"Are we almost there?" Will asked.

Apollo piped up from behind him. "Yeah, where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see," Nico said, pausing for a moment to pluck a pomegranate from a nearby tree and stowing it in his bag, a mischievous look on his face.

"What?" Will began to ask, but Nico cut him off.

"I've never been down here during the summer. Persephone's not here, so she can't stop me from taking anything. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. And you never know how this might come in handy."

The fruits from Persephone's garden were all perfectly ripe and extremely tempting, but Will knew better than to take any for himself. Part of him wanted to ask why Nico needed it, since he knew food from the Underworld would trap any mortal or demigod down here permanently, but he figured, with Nico being a son of Hades, things worked a little differently for him.

After passing Persephone's garden, they veered left and kept trudging on.

"So," Will said to Nico, quietly enough so his dad wouldn't hear, "how did you really survive?"

"I didn't." Nico said bluntly.

"But how did you manage to come back?"

"I made it to Elysium," Nico admitted. "I guess my sacrifice was heroic enough to earn it. And they gave me the option to either stay and live in peace or to try for rebirth. But I didn't want either of those. So I begged for a second chance at the life I have now. And fortunately, I know a few people who could convince them to change up the rules a little. Chiron helped too. He told me he pleaded with my dad after you did, and that's what finally pushed him to say yes. So I was given another chance."

"You gave up an eternity of paradise?" Will asked. "But why?"

"I have plenty of time to spend with a bunch of dead people. I figured I had some friends elsewhere who I'd much rather be with," Nico smiled. "And besides, if I want, I can always throw myself down another pit of death with an evil goddess and die a hero's death all over again. I'm sure I'd get sent to Elysium a second time."

Will's eyes widened, and his grip on Nico's hand went limp.

"Will, I'm kidding," Nico grabbed Will's hand even tighter, like he was holding on for dear life. "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere for a very long time. And speaking of Elysium . . ."

Standing before them was the famed section of the Underworld for extraordinary heroes. A tall, solid gold iron gate surrounded by stone walls stood before them. The sound of music and laughter faintly drifted out between the cracks in the wall.

Nico stepped forward and touched a hand to the gate. It swung open, revealing thousands of towering houses and mansions surrounded by colorful gardens and full of heroes - demigods and mortals - talking, playing, and relaxing.

"I take back everything I ever said about the decor here," Apollo said, staring wide-eyed at the spectacle before him. "How come Hades never let me in here? This place is sweet!"

"You haven't seen anything yet," Nico said, gesturing Will and Apollo to follow him as he walked further.

Apollo walked along eagerly with a hop in his step. "How could it get any better than this?"

Will wondered the same thing. He was with Nico and his father, and they were all alive and happy. Plus, they were literally standing in paradise. He didn't know how much more goodness there could possibly be in the Underworld.

Many of the people standing outside of their homes stopped to say hello to Nico, and he returned their greeting with a polite wave. But he didn't stop once, not until they reached the very center of Elysium.

Yet another gate blocked their way to their final destination. Nico pushed it open and pulled Will inside. The moment he caught sight of what was in front of him, he gasped, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The rest of Elysium was nothing compared to the paradise he saw now. Palm trees were scattered among dozens of islands that had huge cabanas and their own private beaches. The water was a dazzling blue and it seemed to almost sparkle in the sunlight, which was impossible, since there was no sun at all down here.

"The Isles of the Blest," Nico said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Those who are reborn and reach Elysium three times are granted eternal happiness here."

"But why are _we_ here?" Will asked. Not that he ever wanted to leave, but he couldn't think of a reason why Nico would want to show him all of this.

"I think I know why." Apollo's voice sounded whispery and far away.

Off in the distance where Apollo stared, standing on the sandy beach, ankle-deep in the sparkling blue waters of the lake, was Adalynn Solace.


	15. Perditis Princeps

"Well don't just stand there," Nico nudged Apollo with his elbow. Apollo promptly fell to his knees, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide with shock.

Adalynn's laugh echoed across the beach. She tossed her long wavy hair over her shoulder and flashed a cheeky grin at Apollo, who still sat in the sand completely dumbstruck. She wore a flowing white sundress that hung loosely off her shoulders and just barely dragged on the ground. Her bare feet left footprints in the sand as she walked to greet her lost love.

She stopped just inches away from Apollo and stared down at him. "Hello," she said.

Apollo rose to his feet. He touched a hand to her cheek, brushing her hair from her face and idly rubbing his thumb against her cheek. "Hi," he breathed. "It's been a while."

"Eighteen years," Adalynn nodded. "I've missed you."

"How . . .?" Will began, but Nico politely shushed him.

The two of them watched on as Apollo pulled Adalynn close, holding on to her for dear life. He hugged her tight, breathing in the scent of her hair and perfume, wiping away the single tear that fell from her eye.

"You're just as beautiful as I remember," he told her. "You haven't aged a bit."

She shrugged and laughed sadly. "Being dead does that do you."

Adalynn glanced up and caught sight of Will. Her grin grew even wider. She pulled out of Apollo's embrace to face Will.

"And look at you," she sighed. "You grew up to be such a handsome young man. You look just like your father."

"Mom . . ." Will said weakly.

No words could describe how he was feeling; the complete and utter shock and joy. Just that morning, he'd thought his happiness had been ruined beyond repair. But now, reuniting with Nico and his father and his mother all in one day, he felt as if all of the broken pieces had fallen back into place perfectly.

Adalynn took his hand and pulled him close. For a moment, he thought he might fall right through her if he wasn't careful, but she wasn't ghostly at all. Quite the opposite, her hug was gentle and warm and she smelled of seawater.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered to him. "I love you so much, Will."

There, hearing those words from his mother who he'd given up hope of ever seeing long ago, Will felt like he may burst with happiness.

Part of him, though, felt off. He opened his eyes and saw Nico standing off to the side, watching Will's small family reunion, and he realized. Will had been reunited with both of his parents thanks to Nico. And knowing Nico, he had probably searched for his own family - his mother and his sister, Bianca - while he was in Elysium. He hadn't succeeded, judging from the slight frown that lingered on his face as he watched on.

Will gently broke out of his mother's embrace. "Would you give me a minute?" he asked before stepping away and walking over to Nico.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked him.

Will wordlessly threw his arms around Nico and pulled him into a tight embrace. Nico stood awkwardly stiff at first, but after a few seconds, he relaxed and buried his face in Will's shoulder.

After a long pause, Nico whispered, "Thanks."

Will pulled away slightly and shook his head. "I should be the one thanking you. I'll probably never be able to put into words how grateful I am for all of this."

Will heard the unmistakable sound of someone sniffling and turned back to face his parents. He could have sworn he saw his dad try to inconspicuously wipe a tear from his face.

"Dad?" Will tried not to laugh, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Apollo said casually. "I'm just . . . I'm really happy that we're all together again."

The four of them fell silent. All of them were thinking the same thing: it wouldn't quite be the same as it was before. Adalynn would still be in Elysium, Apollo would be up on Olympus, and Will - if there were no more unexpected quests around the world in his near future - would be staying at Camp Half-Blood. They weren't exactly "together" in the true sense of the word. Adalynn was the one who decided to speak what was on everyone's minds. "Apollo, you know I can't leave," she said.

"I know," Apollo replied quietly. "And I would never ask you to leave a place like this."

"Look at it like this: it might be better this way," Nico said. "I mean, she gets to live in paradise forever, and you can visit any time you want. As long as my dad's okay with it, that is. And he will be, if I have anything to say about it."

Apollo nodded. "Mister doom and gloom can't stop me from visiting. And if he does, I can just complain to dad and let them sort it out."

"Oh, right," Nico frowned, "Zeus is your dad. And Hades is your uncle. Which means we're technically cousins . . . You know what, I'm not going to think too hard about that."

Will had never been so grateful to know that the godly side of genetics didn't count. That definitely would have complicated things a bit.

"Oh!" Adalynn gasped and took hold of Apollo's hand. "While you're still here, I wanted to show you something. You won't believe it, when I got here my house was decorated just like the place where you took me on our first date, even down to the flowers and tiki torches everywhere."

Apollo looked to Will and Nico as if he were asking permission to leave. "I don't know-" he began, but Will and Nico both cut him off.

"Don't worry about us. Go," Will said.

Nico shooed them away, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Have fun. We'll wait."

Apollo nodded at the both of them gratefully, then turned back to Adalynn. "How about you give me a tour?"

"That sounds fantastic!" she replied. "There's even a little rock outcropping just like the one on the old beach. Come on, I'll show you."

She hopped up and down like an over-excited child, and Apollo stared down at her with the biggest grin on his face Will had ever seen. Apollo let Adalynn lead him down the beach, holding hands and kicking up sand as they walked further down the beach together.

Will couldn't pull his eyes away until he felt Nico tug on his hand.

"Let's give them a moment," Nico said quietly. "Want to go on a tour of our own?"

Will let Nico walk him out of the gated area of the Isles of the Blest and onto the outer paved sidewalks of Elysium.

They toured the streets of paradise in near-silence for what felt like hours. Occasionally Nico would offer a comment about the people or the houses. Most of the notable mentions were historical figures that neither of them recognized, with Nico being from the 1940s with no modern education and Will being secluded all his life.

"There's a couple of old United States presidents and old royal monarchs of England here somewhere," Nico would say, pointing out some of the fancier homes high up on hills. "A few Dalai Lamas and Popes too. No one I've really heard of, though."

At one point they passed by two men clad in traditional togas and sandals who called out to Nico and waved at him.

"Who are they?" Will asked.

"Achilles and Patroclus," said Nico.

Will nearly choked. " _The_ Achilles? Do he and all of the heroes from the Trojan war just casually live together?"

"Well, no," Nico said. "But Achilles and Patroclus, they fought alongside each other and were buried together. It only makes sense that they're still together now."

Despite being, well, _dead_ , the two of them seemed happy. To think about it, everyone in Elysium seemed to be radiating happiness. Not exactly what you'd expect from a bunch of dead sprits, but Will supposed that was one of the many perks of being here as opposed to the Fields of Asphodel, or worse, the Fields of Punishment.

Speaking of radiating happiness, Nico veered off to the right and led Will down a street full of teenagers who were completely engrossed in a volleyball game, screeching and laughing with each other. The mere sight of it was enough to warm his heart.

It got even better when one of the volleyball players - a slender, dark haired and stunningly gorgeous girl - noticed them watching and completely pulled her attention away from the game, yelling Nico's name and calling him over.

"Look at you," she ruffled his hair, "you just keep getting taller."

"Silena," he groaned and swatted her hand away, but his eyes still lit up when he talked to her. "You say that every time I come down here."

"I know, but I'm just not used to everyone around me aging anymore. It feels like it's been years since I saw you last. How old are you now?"

"I'm sixteen. And it _has_ been years," Nico admitted. "I've been a bit busy."

"I hate to ask," Silena said hesitantly, "but how is everyone at Camp? Or have you still not gone back?"

"Actually, I have gone back," Nico told her. "And everyone's okay, despite the fact that we just fought another huge war." Her eyes widened, but he waved her off. "It's a long story. But we won without any serious injuries." He failed to mention his own death, but Will figured that was intentional.

Silena sighed with relief. "I'm glad to hear it. Hey, do you have time for a game?"

"Sorry, but no. I actually have to take my. . ." Nico gestured over to Will, "my, um, friend Will back to Camp. He came down here with me."

Silena seemed just them to notice Will for the first time. "Oh," she said, "hi, Will. Let me guess, son of Athena?"

"Apollo, actually," Will said.

"Right, the blue eyes should have tipped me off. I see it now. Huh." She looked him up and down, as if she were in the middle of a very important examination. "Interesting."

Nico, once he noticed what she was doing, groaned. "Silena, please don't-"

"Oh, don't worry. He's cute, I definitely approve," Silena winked at Will. "Aphrodite kid instinct." she said, as if that were the most logical explanation she could possibly come up with. She turned back to Nico. "Are you sure you can't stay a little longer? We miss seeing you around."

"Tell Charlie and Lee and everyone I said hello," Nico said, "but we really have to go."

"They'll be sad to have missed you," Silena said.

As odd as it was to think about, Nico probably felt at home here, in a way. It was his father's domain and though he didn't spend too much time here, he could come back any time he wanted to escape the rest of the world. This, Will thought, must have been how he'd spent most of his free time when he was younger - back before all of the Gaea business happened. Talking with all of the heroic campers who had died and ended up here. They definitely seemed to be happy to see him again. It made Will wonder just how much time he'd been spending down here all these years, to form such close relationships with the dead.

Silena ruffled Nico's hair one more time for good measure. "I'll see you again soon, hopefully? Stop growing up on me!"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Trust me, you don't want me doing that. I'll see you around, Silena."

With that, Nico took Will's hand and walked him away. As they left, Will could practically feel the smile on Silena's face boring into the back of his head.

"She seems nice," Will said after a moment.

"Yeah," Nico said. "She and the other Campers who died in the war and ended up down here like to look after me. They all know why I was always down here as a kid."

"So Silena," Will hesitated. "She died after-"

"After my sister, yes." Nico said, saving Will from having to ask the risky question. "I don't mind talking about it. When I first came down here looking for Bianca she had already tried for rebirth, but for whatever reason, I kept coming back. Befriending amnesiac Titans and helping Persephone with her garden. Doing anything to pass the time and avoid being around Percy and the others at Camp Half-Blood, really."

Will wasn't even sure he wanted to know whether or not 'befriending amnesiac Titans' was code for something, but Nico kept talking so he didn't get the chance to ask.

"Eventually some familiar faces started showing up and they all sort of took me in. She and Beckendorf - er, Charlie - and Lee Fletcher and anyone else who knew me. I thought they'd be hostile like everyone else, but they actually liked spending time around me. Of course, then the whole thing with Camp Jupiter and Gaea happened and I had to spend less time with them."

He'd been so engrossed in the story, he hadn't even noticed that Nico had led them back to the beach. Off in the distance, he saw his parents sitting close together in deep conversation, Adalynn's head rested on Apollo's shoulder. No doubt they had a lot of catching up to do.

Everything around them was silent for a long while before Nico spoke up. "We should probably be getting back to camp soon, but I hate to disturb them."

"Yeah," Will said. "After all this time, they're still so in love with each other."

"Makes you think, huh?" Nico said. He sounded a little bit surprised, but also a little hopeful.

A little less than an hour later, Apollo and Adalynn were saying their goodbyes as they prepared for their journey back to Camp Half-Blood. Will and Nico still kept their distance, giving the lost lovers as much privacy as possible.

There had been a question on Will's mind that had been bothering him throughout their entire Underworld trip, and since there probably wouldn't be a more appropriate opportunity to bring it up, he decided to ask it now.

"I don't understand," Will said to Nico. "You never knew how my mom died. I didn't know until this morning. How could you have known she'd end up here?"

Not that he wasn't glad that she'd earned afterlife in the Isles of the Blest, but even Apollo and Zeus had seen her death and hadn't guessed that she'd be here.

"Well, while you and Chiron and my dad were all debating my fate, I had a little time alone down here. I spent most of it unconscious or pacing around trying to pass the time, and I remember passing by here," Nico vaguely gestured around him. "And I glanced over at the island and saw this woman standing there alone, and I thought she looked so much like you that it couldn't be a coincidence. I didn't know mortals could make it to the Isles of the Blest. Your mom is the first I've ever heard of. However she died, it must have been awfully brave."

Standing up to Gaea, begging for Will's life, and not giving up when it was certain that she didn't stand a chance. Will couldn't think of anything braver than that.

"It was," Will said. "It definitely was."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll include the same note I had when I had originally posted this story on FF.net: To clarify since some people seem to be confused - It is implied that Adalynn Solace's life was the third that she lived, and when she died protecting Will it was the third time she achieved Elysium, granting her life in the Isles of the Blest. And Rick Riordan has stated that each of the demigods that died in the war earned Elysium as well (though Luke tried for rebirth, and therefore is absent).


	16. Magnam Ultimo

As if they needed any more excitement in their lives, three days later, everyone at camp awoke to Percy Jackson sounding what had to be the loudest ship horn ever invented. No doubt, it was one of Leo's convoluted devices.

He'd set off in the middle of the night, nearly giving Annabeth a heart attack before she found his note that he left in his cabin that read, "Be back soon. I've got to take care of something. Sorry. Love you!" Annabeth had nearly gone mad, accusing the Stoll brothers of playing a practical joke or being paranoid that he'd gotten stolen away again, but Chiron had confirmed that this wasn't any one of the Gods' new schemes or a joke, and that Percy had really gone off on his own. When he returned that morning, Annabeth was the first one out on the deck to greet him.

"Perseus Jackson," she said, scarily calm. A crowd had begun to form as Percy lowered the anchor from the ship. "What in Hades' name were you thinking?"

He pushed the hair from his face and grinned. "I said I was sorry! You won't be angry much longer, trust me."

He was out on Leo's ship in the middle of Long Island Sound, and as everyone gathered to see what the commotion was about, they realized exactly why it was so important that everyone had been awake to witness this.

"What are you . . ." Annabeth began, but she trailed off, her eyes widening.

Standing on deck frantically waving down at everyone below was Piper, Hazel, Frank, and-

"Claire!" Reyna sprinted towards the dock, pushing her way through the crowd.

The group returning from Europe had barely stepped off the gangplank before Reyna tackle-hugged the younger girl, holding her so tight she could barely breathe.

"Reyna," Claire groaned. "Thanks for worrying about me and all, but you're crushing me."

"Sorry!" Reyna said sheepishly, letting go of Claire and taking a step back. "It's, um . . ." Reyna tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "it's good to see you again. I was afraid after we left that Octavian might have hurt you and it would have been all my fault because I didn't come back to get you or at least make sure that you were with someone safe and I'm really happy to see that that didn't happen so-"

"Reyna, breathe!" Claire said, "I'm fine."

Reyna took a deep breath. "I know. I'm sorry, I was just scared. I don't think I could have dealt with you getting hurt too. If you had died, I couldn't have handled it."

"Too?" Claire raised an eyebrow. "Who else was hurt? Did someone die here?"

"Well Nico-"

"Is right here!" Nico called from behind her.

He and Will had arrived just in time to see all of the reunions, making it to the dock just as Percy pulled the ship ashore and almost getting stuck behind the massive crowd of campers who had come to see everyone.

Will's first instinct when he'd woken up that morning was to go retrieve Nico from Hades cabin, though from the suggestive looks they were getting, others seemed to think they'd been together the entire night. Now that he thought about it, he probably should have thought that whole "kissing Nico in front of the whole Camp" thing through. They'd probably never have any privacy in their relationship after everyone had witnessed that.

"And I'm in perfectly good health, thank you very much," Nico continued. "Don't scare the poor girl, Reyna."

"Well, I wouldn't say perfectly good health," Will muttered.

"What are you talking about?"

"If I knew anything about health, which I do, I'd say you should at least spend a couple days in the infirmary. You know, to make sure you get all of your strength back."

"Will, I'm fine. Your dad's incantation worked, and I've felt perfectly normal the past couple of days."

"Normal like ten-year-old you normal, or normal like fourteen-year-old you? Because I hear you haven't been in the best health in a long time. I'd say we should check just to make sure you won't go fading into the shadows again."

"Will," Nico insisted. "Seriously, I'm fine."

"But you could be better than just fine-"

"Nico!" Hazel spotted them in the crowd and came running, practically jumping into Nico's arms.

Hazel now looked much better than she had a few days prior. She'd been given the chance to wash up and change into clothes that suit her much better than the old oversized gear she'd been camping out it. Most noticeably, her bright-golden eyes seemed to be full of light and excitement, shining more intensely than Will would have thought possible.

She pulled away from Nico and looked around, bouncing on the heels of her feet as she did so. "This is Camp Half-Blood, huh?"

"It's alright, I guess," Frank teased, walking up and casually throwing an arm around Hazel's shoulders. He nodded at Nico and Will. "Glad to see you guys made it back alright."

"Same goes for you," Nico said.

Both of the Romans tried to act nonchalant, but their constantly darting eyes and curious glances didn't go unnoticed. This whole situation was a bit surreal for everyone, but especially so for Frank, Hazel, and Claire, who had never seen a place like Camp Half-Blood before. The curious stares from other campers didn't really help the situation.

A chorus of awwws and a loud fake gagging noise from Leo directed everyone's attention to Piper and Jason, who were standing on the dock next to the ship attached at the mouth.

However bad the separation anxiety had gotten for anyone, Piper and Jason had probably had it the worst. They'd been apart ever since Piper's dad demanded her to come and stay with him after the incident at Camp Jupiter, more than two years ago.

The crowd had fallen nearly silent watching their reunion, eager to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Jason pulled away from her, his hands still cupped around her face. "How are you here? I mean I know how you got here, but how-"

"Hazel and Frank made sure Percy made a little detour to Paris," Piper shrugged. "My dad wasn't happy, but he wasn't exactly going to say no to four teenagers wielding sharp weapons on his doorstep."

Jason shook his head in complete disbelief. "Gods, I missed you," he said, kissing her again.

Once they broke apart, Piper caught sight of Annabeth and Reyna and immediately ran to them, pulling the two girls into a massive bear hug full of happy tears and "I missed you"s.

"I told you I had something I needed to take care of," Percy said once they'd pulled away.

"I'm still mad at you," Annabeth said stubbornly, but she was smiling.

Leo cleared his throat loudly, grabbing everyone's attention. "I have a proposal to make!"

Jason rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Here we go again."

"Since dirtface ruined the last party we had, I say we make up for it," Leo grinned mischievously. "I think I feel a celebration coming on."

"Not yet."

Everyone fell silent and parted, making way for Chiron. He came galloping up to the group of newly reunited heroes, looking serious. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, "and I'm glad to see you all here safe and sound, but there are still matters we need to discuss."

Ten minutes later, they were seated inside the rec room of the Big House.

Hazel, Frank, and Claire - who had been invited along to the meeting because she was as much of a pivotal part of the quest as anyone else, plus the fact that they didn't want to leave her alone in a crowd of strangers - were still staring wide-eyed at every unfamiliar thing they happened upon. Percy leaned back lazily in a chair, his feet rested on top of the ping-pong table while Annabeth chastised him for it. Leo sat tracing his fingers across the patterns on the table, seeming much more interested in them than the ongoing conversation. Jason and Piper were too focused on talking to each other. Will, who seemed to be the only one actually paying attention, sat at the far end of the table, Nico to his right and Reyna to his left.

Eleven heads looked up as Chiron rolled into the room, his centaur side now compressed into his wheelchair.

"I hate to ruin your happy moods," Chiron began gravely, "but this is a serious matter."

"The Empire has fallen," Leo guessed. "No, that's not it, Snape killed Dumbledore, right? Wait, I've got it: this is all a dream and we've all been dead this whole time?"

"There is a possibility, however slight it may be, that Gaea has not been defeated and may rise again," Chiron said.

That got everyone's attention.

"Her cause of death was questionable," he continued. "No one was truly there to see her demise. We're basing our victory purely on assumption that she was destroyed when she disappeared down the chasm that she created but we cannot know for sure."

"So what you're saying is," Percy said, "this whole thing might not be over yet?"

Chiron shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

"But falling into the pit killed Nico," Reyna blurted out. "I mean he's fine now," she amended, "obviously. But still."

Jason raised a polite hand before asking, "Can't we assume that Nico being a child of Hades is what allowed him to come back? And that whatever was down there killed her for good?"

"That's not exactly how it works," Nico said hesitantly. "She opened a pit underneath me trying to kill me, but I don't know where it led or how deep it went. I didn't. . . I mean, I kind of blacked out after pulling her down with me, and next thing I knew, I was waking up in the Underworld. But she could have kept falling until she reached the bottom, however far down that may have been."

"It could be like the first time I defeated her," Hazel said grimly. "She wasn't dead, just resting underground until she gained enough power to rise again."

"We are playing a dangerous game here," Chiron said. "And there is another issue. The seven demigods of the prophecy have been reunited, but the prophecy was not fulfilled as stated."

Jason nodded. "To storm or fire the world must fall. That didn't exactly happen. Gaea fell, sure, but there was no storm or fire involved."

"Maybe the prophecy meant storm or fire as a metaphorical thing?" Hazel asked. "They usually don't follow the literal meaning. She did fall, so the line's at least partially fulfilled."

Percy spoke up next. "Maybe she opened up a pit leading all the way down to Tartarus in an attempt to kill Nico and unintentionally doomed herself to the fiery pits of hell for the rest of eternity when she was dragged down herself. Literally falling down to fire, you know?"

He was met with blank stares from all around the room.

"I mean, that's just my guess," he shrugged. "Who really knows?"

"You all do have to be prepared in case Gaea does make a return, though," Chiron said. "This war may not be over yet."

Will raised a hand politely. "I'm sure this goes without saying, but just to clarify, 'you all' doesn't include me, right?"

"Or me," Nico said. "I've done more than my fair share of helping out with this little quest, thank you very much."

Leo, who had been tapping his foot impatiently throughout the whole meeting, stood up and pushed his chair away from the table. "You know what? I say we burn that bridge when we get to it."

"You mean we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Annabeth said.

"Nope," Leo snapped and a flame flickered across his fingertips. "I meant burn."

"So what you're saying is," Chiron said slowly, "you all want to just let things play out on their own rather than stay alert and prepared in case Gaea returns? No matter how potentially dangerous and life threatening the consequences may be?"

"Yes," said Hazel.

"Exactly," Frank said.

"Uh-huh," Piper nodded.

"That's the plan," said Leo.

Will had to stifle a laugh. The seven of them were all on the same page regarding the quest, and nobody could blame them. What they'd been through over the past few years was more than any teenager should have to deal with, even if those teenagers happened to be powerful demigods.

Chiron glanced around at the exhausted expressions on each of their faces. "I normally wouldn't condone letting our guard down. But-"

"Please?" Annabeth and Percy pleaded simultaneously.

"I suppose I can make an exception for you all," Chiron finished.

Seven voices chorused together in a sigh of relief.

When everyone else stood to leave, Leo was already halfway out the door. "Now as I was saying earlier, about that celebration . . ."

Needless to say, the make-up party was pulled off without a hitch. It was like the solstice celebration multiplied by ten.

Nearly every inch of the dining pavilion was decorated with balloons, streamers, and colorful banners. The kids from the Hephaestus cabin had taken it upon themselves to hide tricked-out party favors everywhere, and every few minutes, without fail, a confetti popper or party horn would explode in a huge firework of color and deafening noise, nearly giving everyone in a ten foot radius a heart attack.

Frank and Hazel hadn't quite had the time to adjust to the personalities of the kids at Camp Half-Blood, but they were going along with things as best as they could. Last anyone heard, Hazel had heard there were stables just like the ones back at Camp Jupiter and she'd run off excitedly to go socialize with the pegasi with Frank trailing off behind her.

When Jason and Piper weren't being assaulted with questions from Piper's curious siblings from Aphrodite cabin, they were in the middle of the action of the party, leading an impromptu dance party with Leo.

As for Percy and Annabeth, no one had seen them for hours, but if anyone happened to walk past the beach, they may have found the couple sitting on the sand, looking out at Long Island Sound and chatting with another young couple, a blonde man and woman. Apollo insisted that he wasn't breaking any more ancient rules, but that Hades had allowed him to pull a few strings. Adalynn Solace wasn't back for good; he was simply allowing her one more chance to feel the sun on her face and the sand on her feet as she watched the sunset over the horizon with her true love.

With no looming threat of imminent danger, Will finally allowed himself to relax. He gladly stuffed his face with strawberry shortcakes and watched his friends swim while he dipped his feet in the lake, though he politely declined participating in the impromptu chariot race some of the Hermes kids had put together. No point in surviving all he'd been through in the past two weeks just to have his headstone read 'Had an unfortunate accident involving smoke bombs, tricked out spears, and a rogue pegasus'.

By the time night fell, everyone had taken seats about the campfire, which glowed a bright golden color. Whether it was because of everyone's happy moods or because Leo had been throwing fireworks and other colorful chemicals into it, no one could really be sure. Kayla sat in the middle of a group of people strumming a guitar, her and the other Apollo kids leading everyone in song. This time around, instead of hiding away from the party, Will was right in the middle of the festivities, sitting next to Nico directly in front of the campfire. The knowing glances in their direction from the other campers didn't go unnoticed.

"So," Nico glanced down at his and Will's hands, which had been intertwined almost constantly since Chiron bought him back, "soon people are going to start pointing out how we're constantly attached and they're going to start talking. You know that, right?

"They've already started talking. You don't want them to know about this?" Will frowned.

"No," Nico said quickly. "I mean, I don't have a problem with anyone knowing. I'm fine with that. More than fine with it. It's just that, well, we've got to talk about exactly what this is."

"We're . . ." Will fished for an appropriate word in his head, "together. That's what matters, right?"

"Well, yes. But being together in the sense that you know it isn't really an instant thing like how it works in stories. Most teenagers these days go on a few dates before they make a relationship official."

"There's just one problem," Will said. "I have no idea what a date is."

Nico had to hold in laughter, but Will's naivety combined with his pouting was almost too cute to resist at least chuckling at. "Maybe I can show you. I can take you into the city tomorrow and show you all of the best tourist spots."

Will smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like fun."

Now too curious to resist, Nico said, "I completely forgot that majority of your knowledge comes from old storybooks. What else don't you know?"

"Now that I think about it," Will said, "For the most part, I haven't had the slightest clue what anyone's been talking about since I left the tower, I've just kind of been going along with it. Like, I have no idea what a cellphone is and at this point I feel like it's too late to ask."

Off on the other side of the campfire, some of the Apollo kids were waving frantically in Will and Nico's direction.

"Come sing with us!" Kayla called to him.

Will started to shake his head and politely decline, but Nico stopped him.

"Go ahead," Nico said. "Have some fun. Don't worry, you can leave for five minutes without me disappearing on you."

Will started to slowly pull away, but Nico tugged him back. "And one more thing."

"Hm?"

"You know you can let go eventually, right?" Nico said, looking down at their intertwined fingers. "You don't have to constantly keep a grip on me. I'm not going anywhere any time soon."

"I know," Will said, bringing Nico's hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it gently. The few red scars left from the battle a few days ago faded at Will's touch.

"You know," Nico mused, "your whole magic healing thing would really come in handy around camp. Especially after Capture The Flag games. Ares cabin takes those things pretty seriously."

"You're not encouraging me to go around kissing other campers, are you?"

"Definitely not," Nico leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Will's, a short and simple kiss. He surprised himself, how he didn't even have to think twice about it, how natural and comfortable it felt.

"That's what I thought," Will smiled.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Go," he said.

With that, Will ran off to join the rest of the Apollo cabin kids on the other side of the campfire. A guitar was placed in his lap and he stared down at it extremely confused, but once he was shown where to place his fingers on the neck of the instrument, he was able to strum out a melody with ease, which surprised no one. The lost son of Apollo hadn't just inherited exceptional healing ability.

Not five seconds later, Reyna slid into the empty seat next to Nico and casually threw an arm around his shoulders. Nico had no doubt she'd been watching the entire exchange and waiting for her perfect moment to butt in. "That was super smooth," she teased. "Way to ask out your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Nico groaned.

"Not yet," Reyna nudged him. "Hey, do you think maybe Claire and I can join you guys for a little while tomorrow?"

Nico turned and stared at Reyna. "You and- I knew it."

"You knew nothing, di Angelo!" Reyna protested. "We're just going to be hanging out for a while, that's it. Plus, she and I both lived on the west coast for years. I want to see the sights of the city."

"Uh-huh," Nico smirked.

Nico looked up towards the other side of the campfire and spotted Claire sitting with Will, laughing and trying to pick up on the lyrics to whatever odd song the Apollo kids were singing that had something to do with getting five imperial gold swords for Christmas.

"Things are going to be different now, aren't they?" Reyna asked quietly after a while.

"No more running for our lives. No more getting in trouble with the law. No more being public enemy number one to Camp Jupiter . . ." Nico said.

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to miss being a fugitive on the run and constantly fearing for our lives," Reyna playfully nudged him. "It's going to be hard to get used to, huh?"

Nico glanced at Will one last time, watching the way he seemed to radiate pure happiness across everyone around him, his smile never fading despite everything he'd been through. For the first time in his life, being here at Camp Half-Blood surrounded by family and friends who loved him and having endless opportunities ahead of him in life, Will had a real reason to be happy. And for the first time in a long time, Nico did too.

"No," Nico said, "I could easily get used to this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIN
> 
> (Originally posted on 7/14/15) And now for a farewell author's note:
> 
> After nearly eight months, over 60,000 words, and 200 followers, When My Life Begins is finally complete. This is the longest writing project I've ever done and I want to thank everyone who had read, reviewed, followed and supported this story. Writing a story based on my favorite book series and my favorite movie at the same time seemed daunting, but in the end all of the hard work, research, writing on scraps of paper in class, coming up with rhymes for made up prophecies, hours of staring at Google Maps calculating whether or not travel times were plausible, and asking friends to translate odd phrases in Latin for me, I definitely think it was worth it.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading.


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